Yin Style Bagua Zhang

Yin style in perhaps the most widely practiced system of pakua today, and for many reasons. Yin Fu (1841-1909) was the founder of this style and he was also a direct student of bagua’s founder Dong Haichuan. It is said that yin fu began to study with dong hai chuan after dong defeated him in a challenge. Yin fu was reluctant to totally grasp all of bagua and let go of the shaolin tui na he had practiced for years. It is also said that dong finally became upset at yin fu’s reluctance and knocked out yin’s two front teeth, I have seen no photos of yin fu smiling to prove or disprove this story. The king liked him too and let Yin join the king's security guards. When Master Dong retired, Yin took over as the supervisor of the security guards. Then he worked for the emperor in the Forbidden City. The Empress Dowager liked his skill and even wanted to study with him.

Yin taught Bagua and lived on the eastern side of Beijing city. So Yin style will always be called Dong-cheng Zhang (Eastern City Palm). The other name of Yin style is Niu-she Zhang (Ox Tongue Palm) because the palm's shape in this style looks like an ox tongueYin style is perhaps the largest system of bagua not only in its’ practitioners but also the material of the style itself. Yin style offers the most arrays of techniques, forms, chi gung, weapons, and palm changes than any other system of pakua.

The ox tongue palm is the base palm for the Yin system of pakua. Yin style is divided into eight sets, each having eight palms for a total of sixty-four forms. The yin style also teaches the eighteen lines of lohan fists, the 12 continuous leg methods, and the three basin palm frames.