Liu Bin’s Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang: South District Beijing’s Strongly Rooted Style: Foundation Practices

In volume 2 of Liu Bin's Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang, Professor Zhang Jie documents the style of Bagua Zhang developed by Liu Bin, one of Cheng Ting Hua's top students. Professor Zhang became a disciple in this tradition in 1979, apprenticing under the well-known expert Liu Xing Han in Beijing. He was carefully trained for many years, practicing Bagua's circle-walking techniques under the trees of Temple of Heaven park--the same place where Dong Hai Quan, Cheng Ting Hua, and many other masters used to train.

A two-volume series, Liu Bin's Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang gives equal attention to Bagua Zhang's history, its practice, and the culture from which it arose; Professor Zhang presents Bagua Zhang as a guide for everyday living, stressing the Chinese concept of balance in all things. While volume one instructed students in the fundamentals of Bagua practice (stances and footwork, the circle walk, and the single palm change), volume two teaches variations on the single palm change; the eight mother palms; the twenty-four movements of five elements, three levels form; and the twenty-four movements of eight palms, eight fists, and eight elbows form. Professor Zhang also introduces readers to weapons training with the continous sword form and the coiling dragon long staff form. Step-by-step photos and descriptions document the forms, while never-before-published historical photographs and first-hand accounts of the development of the art provide a rich background for the practical instruction. Volume two also goes further into the history of Liu Bin's lineage, including profiles of many notable Bagua masters. The author's personal contact with many of these masters, including ones that risked their lives to carry on the tradition through the Cultural Revolution, allows him to record their stories in vivid detail.

Zhang Jie was born in Beijing in 1945 and started learning Shaolin martial arts, Shuai Jiao, and Taiji from an early age. In 1978 he began studying Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang with Liu Xing Han and Wang Wen Kui, while simultaneously studying Xingyi Quan. He graduated with a master’s degree in Chinese culture and literature from Beijing University. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington, where he continues to research and teach Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang. Richard Shapiro lives in Mesa, Arizona, where he practices and teaches Bagua Zhang and Taiji Quan and practices Tui Na bodywork. He holds a master’s degree in sport science and has been training in martial arts since 1992. Randy Chung, Mark Wigzell, and Will Baller have all studied Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang with Master Zhang for many years. Through their hard work and discipline, they have all gained a deep understanding of the Zhuang Gong Bagua system. Randy Chung and Will Baller are also studying Xingyi Quan with Master Zhang. They all continue to study Bagua Zhang under Master Zhang at his home in Seattle.