A brief introduction to Dong Haichuan, the founder of Bagua Zhang, and the final outcome of Dong Haichuan

The last years of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China were the last manifestations of Chinese martial arts. Jin Haichuan, the founder of Baguazhang, was a person who shone brightly in Chinese martial arts during a period of time. Jin Haichuan was born in 1797, the third year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty, from Zhujiajia Village, Wen'an County, Hebei Province. The original name of Jinhaichuan was Jinmingkui, but later it was changed to Jinhaichuan.

Dong Haichuan’s family moved from Hongdong, Shanxi to Gaocheng, Hebei in the early Ming Dynasty. The Jin Haichuan family in Kaikai Village, Xiong County, Hebei is just a branch of the Jin family. Rumor has it that Sumire Haichuan has long arms, big hands, extraordinary physical strength, and is good at martial arts. The elders of the Jin family said: "Dong Haichuan was very smart when he was young, and he was addicted to martial arts. He spent his whole life studying both civil and martial arts. He was well versed in martial arts passed down from his family. He was also upright in character and hated evil as much as his enemy. When he was young, he fought for the poor and weak. When he was young, he confessed to seeking justice. The true meaning is to travel around the world and change the name "Haichuan" to avoid causing trouble to the people in his hometown.

When Sumire Haichuan was young and failed to achieve fame, he determined to learn from the leaders of other families. So when he was twenty-six years old, he left home and traveled far away. In Wuyue, Bashu and other places, Jin Haichuan used martial arts to visit friends and hone his own martial arts skills. He experienced many hardships and dangers and lived the journey of pursuing martial arts like an ascetic monk. He had been away for thirteen years. When he was in his forties, he returned to his hometown in the eighteenth year of Daoguang. At this time, Sumireikawa, after constant training outside, had changed the irritable and strong character he had when he was young. After returning home, he devoted himself to studying martial arts all day long, and at the same time passed on what he had gained to the people in his clan. Sometimes, he would go out for a few days and his family would not know where he had gone. When asked what he was doing, he just said that he was going out to visit friends.

There is also a theory that the reason why Sumireikawa stayed away from his hometown for a hundred years and traveled abroad was actually because he had a hot temper when he was young and accidentally injured others, so he chose to leave his hometown. .

During the Xianfeng period, Jin Haichuan lived in the capital. According to rumors, at this time, he had committed suicide and was working as a eunuch in the palace, hiding his name. There are two theories as to why he became a eunuch.

One reason is that Sumire Haichuan killed someone, and only by being castrated and becoming a eunuch could he save his life.

The second theory is that Jin Haichuan participated in the Taiping Rebellion in his early years and was determined to overthrow the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, in order to complete his great cause, he committed suicide and chose to commit suicide. He endured the humiliation and lurked among the nobles of the Qing Dynasty as a eunuch, looking for opportunities to assassinate Emperor Xianfeng. The person who conveyed the news to him was the close bodyguard of the Empress Dowager Cixi.

Later, before Jin Haichuan could take action, news came that Emperor Xianfeng had died suddenly. Jin Haichuan, who didn’t know what to do next, had no choice but to remain anonymous and continue his life as a eunuch.

There are rumors that when Dong Haichuan was working in the palace, he had a fight with Yang Luchan, a famous Tai Chi master. It was precisely because of this confrontation that Sumire Haichuan became known. The story goes like this: Yang Luchan was summoned to compete with a boxer in Prince Su's Mansion. He won consecutive battles, and finally threw a boxer onto the garden net. Dong Haichuan, who was on duty at that time, was passing by with a vegetable plate in his hand. When he saw the martial artist who was thrown onto the circular net, he flew onto the net to rescue the boxer.

This scene happened to be seen by everyone, so there was a competition between him and Yang Luchan. Dong Haichuan then fought with Yang Luchan. The two heroes faced each other, and the winner was difficult to determine. At that time, Sumire Haichuan used the Baguazhang he created. Rumor has it that this Baguazhang was created by Jin Haichuan who accidentally met an old man in Jiuhua Mountain, Anhui Province. This old man's name was "Yunpan Ancestor", and Sumire Haichuan was fortunate enough to be taught martial arts skills by him, and this was how he finally founded Baguazhang.

After such frequent competitions, Tai Chi and Baguazhang each established their own schools, and their families were full of talents and passed down to future generations. Dong Haichuan lived to an advanced age. When he died, he was in a coma. He lay on his back on the bed, still making palm-changing gestures with his hands, until he died. Baguazhang is popular at home and abroad and remains popular to this day.

In the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, that is, in 1882 AD, Jin Haichuan, who was eighty-five years old, passed away this winter. When he died, he was buried next to Xiaoniufang Village outside Dongzhimen, Beijing, and later moved to Wan'an Cemetery in west Beijing. Although Sumireikawa has passed away, his martial arts is still passed down to future generations and shines with dazzling light.