What Are the Main Styles of Baguazhang and How Do They Differ?
Baguazhang is one of the three major internal martial arts of China, alongside Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. Although all Baguazhang schools share the same roots in circle walking, palm changes, and continuous movement, anyone who begins studying the art soon discovers that there are many different styles.
This can be confusing for beginners. One school teaches Cheng Style. Another teaches Yin Style. Others teach Gao, Liang, Jiang, Song, Fu, or smaller family traditions. The movements may look different, the forms may have different names, and the training methods may vary.
So are they all really Baguazhang?
The answer is yes.
The different styles are best understood as branches growing from the same tree. They share the same trunk, but each branch developed its own character through the students who inherited the art.
At Dragon Phoenix, we teach Cheng Style Baguazhang through the lineage of Grandmaster Sun Zhijun, Shifu Li Chunling, and Shifu Aaron Dison. Understanding how Cheng Style fits into the larger Baguazhang family helps students appreciate both the uniqueness of their training and the rich history of the art.
Dong Haichuan: The Common Beginning
Nearly every traditional Baguazhang lineage traces its history back to Dong Haichuan (董海川), who lived during the Qing Dynasty in the nineteenth century. Dong is widely recognized as the founder—or more accurately, the first public transmitter—of Baguazhang.
Historical accounts suggest that before teaching publicly in Beijing, Dong studied Daoist methods of circle walking, meditation, and martial practice. He later combined these influences with his own martial experience into the art that became known as Baguazhang.
Rather than teaching every student exactly the same material, Dong adapted his instruction to the student's previous experience. Many of his earliest students were already accomplished martial artists. Instead of asking them to abandon everything they knew, he taught them Baguazhang principles and allowed those principles to reshape their existing skills.
This teaching method is one reason the major styles of Baguazhang developed.
Cheng Style Baguazhang
Cheng Style descends from Cheng Tinghua (程廷华), one of Dong Haichuan's best-known disciples.
Before learning Baguazhang, Cheng Tinghua was an accomplished practitioner of Shuai Jiao, the traditional Chinese art of wrestling. As a result, Cheng Style became particularly well known for:
throwing and uprooting
close-range body control
circular entering
smooth, flowing palm changes
continuous movement
whole-body power
Rather than separating striking, throwing, and controlling into different categories, Cheng Style blends them together. A strike may become a throw. A turn may become a lock. A step may become the beginning of an uprooting technique.
At Dragon Phoenix, students first develop this body method through circle walking, the 8 Turning Palms, and the 8 Mother Palms before progressing into the 64 Palms combat form, partner training, and traditional weapons.
The emphasis is not on collecting techniques but on developing a body that naturally moves according to Baguazhang principles.
Yin Style Baguazhang
Yin Style comes from Yin Fu (尹福), Dong Haichuan's first recorded disciple.
Yin Fu had a background in Northern Chinese striking arts before studying with Dong, and this influence can still be seen in the style today.
Yin Style is often recognized for:
direct linear striking
explosive issuing power
eight distinct animal systems
fast changes between hard and soft energy
highly structured technical training
While Cheng Style often appears smooth and flowing, Yin Style frequently demonstrates sharper changes in rhythm and more clearly defined striking methods.
Despite these differences, Yin practitioners still rely on circle walking, palm changes, whole-body movement, and internal connection.
Gao Style Baguazhang
Gao Style developed through Gao Yisheng, who first studied Cheng Style before expanding his understanding through additional instruction.
Perhaps the best-known feature of Gao Style is its distinction between:
Pre-Heaven training (Xiantian)
Post-Heaven training (Houtian)
The Pre-Heaven material emphasizes circle walking and palm changes, while the Post-Heaven material introduces structured linear fighting methods built from the earlier principles.
Because of this organization, Gao Style is often appreciated for its systematic curriculum and clear progression.
Liang Style Baguazhang
Liang Style comes through Liang Zhenpu, one of Dong Haichuan's youngest disciples.
Liang practitioners preserved a broad curriculum that includes numerous empty-hand forms, weapons, partner exercises, and training methods.
This branch is especially noted for preserving an extensive traditional weapons curriculum, including:
Deer Horn Knives
Rooster Knives
Hook Swords
Long Spear
Broadsword
Straight Sword
Staff
Like the other major branches, Liang Style still centers its training around circle walking and body connection.
Jiang Style Baguazhang
Jiang Style traces its roots to Jiang Rongqiao, who became well known for teaching both Baguazhang and Xingyiquan.
Because of his background, Jiang Style often presents its curriculum in a highly organized and accessible way. It became one of the most influential systems in twentieth-century China and helped introduce Baguazhang to many new students.
Song Style and Fu Style
Other important branches include Song Style and Fu Style.
Song Style developed through Song Changrong and preserves its own forms and training progression while remaining rooted in Dong Haichuan's principles.
Fu Style comes through Fu Zhensong, one of the most famous martial artists of the Republican era. Fu was highly skilled in Baguazhang, Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, and other arts, and his system reflects that broad background. Today, Fu Style is recognized for its elegant movement and integrated internal training.
What All Styles Have in Common
Although the styles may look different, they share the same core principles.
Every traditional Baguazhang system teaches:
circle walking
continuous change
whole-body movement
waist-led power
spiral energy
changing angles instead of meeting force directly
maintaining one's own center while disrupting the opponent's balance
The differences are usually found in emphasis rather than fundamentals.
One lineage may emphasize striking.
Another may emphasize throwing.
Another may preserve a larger weapons curriculum.
Another may organize its forms differently.
These are family characteristics, not contradictions.
Why Do the Forms Look Different?
One reason forms differ is that Baguazhang was traditionally transmitted through individual teachers rather than standardized organizations.
Unlike modern sports, there was no universal curriculum.
Each generation emphasized what they considered most important.
Some teachers preserved shorter training routines.
Some organized older material into longer linked forms.
Some expanded the weapons curriculum.
Others devoted more time to partner training.
This flexibility helped Baguazhang survive, but it also means two practitioners from different lineages may perform very different-looking forms while still expressing the same underlying principles.
Which Style Is Best?
This is one of the most common questions beginners ask.
The better question is not which style is best.
It is whether the style is being taught as a complete martial art.
A good Baguazhang teacher should be able to explain:
why the feet move the way they do
how the waist generates movement
how circle walking develops the body
how forms connect to applications
how partner training supports solo practice
how internal principles are developed over time
Without those pieces, the style matters much less than the quality of the instruction.
Why Dragon Phoenix Teaches Cheng Style
Dragon Phoenix teaches Cheng Style Baguazhang because it preserves a complete traditional system passed through Grandmaster Sun Zhijun, Shifu Li Chunling, and Shifu Aaron Dison.
Students learn much more than forms. They develop circle walking, body mechanics, partner applications, traditional weapons, internal training, and Daoist philosophy as parts of one integrated curriculum.
The goal is not simply to preserve movements.
It is to preserve the method behind those movements.
One Art, Many Expressions
The different styles of Baguazhang should not be seen as competitors.
They are different expressions of the same art.
Each lineage preserved something valuable.
Each teacher emphasized different strengths.
Each generation contributed to keeping Baguazhang alive.
Whether someone practices Cheng, Yin, Gao, Liang, Jiang, Song, Fu, or another traditional branch, the circle remains the same.
The practitioner learns to stay centered while changing.
To move instead of colliding.
To adapt instead of resisting.
That is the heart of Baguazhang, and it is what connects every traditional style back to Dong Haichuan.