Why Practice Baguazhang and/or Xinyiliuhequan (Shidaxing)?
- Mar 3
- 6 min read
Wen–Wu in Action
Issue 2
by Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen
On our curriculum you’ll find courses on two internal martial arts: baguazhang (the palm techniques of the eight trigrams) and shidaxing (the ten great forms), better known as xinyiliuhequan (the mind-focus fist of the six co-ordinations). The latter is also known as the xingyiquan (form and focus fist) of Henan Province.
Both martial arts forms are called “internal martial arts” and in that way are supposed to be related to taijiquan. Telling the story of the so-called “internal martial arts” (and why they are not that much related and not that internal) is stuff for another blog post. Stay posted.
Baguazhang was developed in the second half of the nineteenth century by Dong Haichuan and his disciples. It’s a martial art that combines circular and spiraling walking and moving patterns, originating in Taoist rituals, with martial techniques from the region where Dong was born and some techniques from other martial arts. Influenced by the Chinese philosophy of change, baguazhang came to adopt and borrow the eight trigrams (the foundations of the hexagrams of the Book of Yinyang Changes or Yijing) as its theoretical background and explanation of its martial techniques.
Xinyiliuhequan is the oldest and “wildest” of the internal martial arts, dating from the Ming Dynasty (probably 17th century), but with obvious older sources (such as shaolinquan, the martial art of the Shaolin monastery and military training of the Ming, maybe even of the Song period, 12th century). It is in some ways similar to the better-known xingyiquan (originating from the Hebei and Shanxi provinces), yet also fundamentally different.
It was only practiced by Hui (Chinese Muslims) until the beginning of the 20th century, when Lu Songgao left his birthplace and went to China’s southeast region (especially Shanghai), where he taught the art to Muslims but also to Han Chinese. In Shanghai it became known as shidaxing, and this is the name we mostly use for our way of practicing it.
Compared to taijiquan and baguazhang, it is the most powerful method of the three, using direct and fast attacks. The other two rely much more on evasion before (counter)attacking and apply softer techniques.
Why do we have these courses on our list? One (important) reason is because my predecessors practiced these martial arts and found it necessary to transmit them to me. They explicitly stressed that they are a good foundation for several other practices, such as internal alchemy, qigong, Chinese medicine (e.g. massage), character building, body and health conditioning, and so on.
As these quanfa (martial arts) contain a lot of movements and sets of movements, you also train your memory when learning these. You also get to know (the limits of) your physical and psychological possibilities. And they form a bridge between theory (the philosophical backgrounds) and practice (the philosophy applied to movement).
Let’s go into some details of what this means. I’ll refer to my own experiences, those of my teachers, and some old and modern observations.
When I went to China in 1985 to deepen my knowledge of the internal martial arts and internal alchemy, I had been practicing Chinese martial arts for about ten years. My main teacher then became astounded by the speed of my evolution in qigong, taijiquan, and internal alchemy. Comparing my “history” with that of other practitioners, I came to the conclusion that I was far better trained than them.
I also understood and had studied Chinese classical philosophy and could therefore see the relationship between the practice and the theory, becoming aware of how they mutually promoted each other. Being fit and strong, having a good memory, and combining theoretical study with an active lifestyle are key ingredients to stay healthy and get more from life than those without that kind of life.
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Being in China allowed me to observe people of different ages in the public parks and in their homes. I saw youngsters practicing sports (most of them didn’t practice martial arts) and old people engaging in dancing, qigong, and taijiquan. Some elderly people practiced baguazhang or other martial arts. Others just sat on benches or talked to their friends.
The fitness and flexibility of some of the older martial arts practitioners stood out from the crowd. Their liveliness and quick minds also struck me as different from their peers. Modern research shows that you need to “refresh” your mind by keeping yourself intellectually busy and need to keep your body active in order to improve your chances of becoming old in a healthy way.
Internal (and other) martial arts combine both activities and give you a great opportunity to succeed in becoming old in a healthy way. The Chinese have an old saying: “old age rises from the legs.” When you stop moving about, your health and fitness deteriorate rapidly. Important circulations move through your legs, and using your legs too little has negative effects on the functions that relate to those circulations (Chinese medicine differentiates between several essential workings of the body and mind that rely on the legs).
During my research of Taoist alchemy in China (1985–2005), I observed the importance of an (in)active lifestyle when I met some famous masters. Those who didn’t move a lot looked frail and old for their age and were not the fine examples of great health that you read about in the stories of alchemists and “immortals.” These masters read a lot, studied texts, wrote books, meditated, but didn’t live a physically active life and had stopped practicing martial arts (if they ever did practice).
One could say that maybe it’s not important that you practice baguazhang, taijiquan, or shidaxing, and I tend to agree. Make sure that you stay active as long as possible, and that can be a good insurance for longevity and health.
But once you get really older, seventy or more, your muscles seem to disappear… You become weak naturally. You actually need to increase your muscle training as you grow older. Don’t wait till you’re seventy (although you can still start practicing then); get active much earlier and stay active.
Some weightlifting can help (do this under professional guidance), but baguazhang and shidaxing (and also the martial versions of taijiquan) include working with heavy objects (big swords, halberds, long staffs, etc.) and body conditioning (lifting heavy things, fitness training, etc.).
And, as I wrote above, they train your memory by making you remember all those movements and require you to be focused and concentrated. Include sparring with partners to really improve your focus and concentration. The perfect combination.
Yet, there is more. Our curriculum centers around internal alchemy. Physical activity, keeping your mind active, training your brain is very useful, but for alchemy’s purposes something is lacking…
The first big step in your alchemical development is the activation of your dantian (field of cinnabar) in your abdominal and lower back region. Having investigated old alchemical texts written by former masters and having met and worked with many contemporary practitioners, I sincerely doubt if most of them really experienced and understood what an active dantian is.
I fear most of them were relying on theoretical information, not on actual embodied practice. The awakening of the dantian is (in many cases was) part of internal martial arts training. Xinyiliuhequan masters especially stress dantian work, more so than most martial taijiquan and baguazhang teachers, who seem to have lost or forgotten that part of the curriculum.
One of the reasons for this loss, I suppose, is the standardization of baguazhang, xingyiquan, and taijiquan practice in the early 20th century. Shidaxing or xinyiliuhequan still wasn’t standardized when I first learned it in the 1980s. It looked as if it had escaped from the times it had been developed and was dropped into the 20th century, retaining the old practicing ways.
When these old practices, and especially the dantian awakening, are combined with neidan (internal alchemy) and good martial arts foundations, this can work miracles. For me, that explains why I made quick and steady progress in my alchemical practice.
From a neidan perspective, establishing a strong dantian action is necessary to succeed in opening up all circulations (通百脈 tong baimai), enhancing vitality and resilience (修命 xiu ming), and controlling and restoring the brain’s activities (修性 xiu xing).
My view of a good teacher is that such a person wants to bring her or his students at least up to her or his own level. That is why I transmit and discuss these things. I know they work and why they work.
One thing I cannot do (although I keep trying to motivate students): you, as a student, have to play your part. Diligently follow the instructions, trust and respect the teaching, don’t hesitate once you’re on the right path, and practice, practice, practice.
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