(2) Bajipiguaquan, Northern Chinese System from the Li Shuwen and Liu Yunqiao

This system was employed extensively in the training of the bodyguards of Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong and the last emperor, Pu Yi.
A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LI SHUWEN & LIU YUNQIAO LINEAGE
The public dissemination of the bajiquan/piguazhang system has come about largely through the efforts of the late General Liu Yunqiao (b. February 8, 1909; d. January 21, 1992) of Taiwan and his formal students. During the 1970's, he founded the Wu Tang Martial Arts Development Center of Taiwan, and over three thousand students were instructed in many styles of traditional northern Chinese wushu. However, complete training in the bajiquan/piguazhang system was taught only to a limited number of disciples.

The written records of bajiquan's historical roots traces its founding back to about the 1600's, although oral traditions suggest that it may go back as far as the 1200's.³ The style, like most other systems, has its own base of fact and mythology. One of the bajiquan verses says that "to combine the fist and punching power of bajiquan with the palm and whipping power of piguazhang will create invincible heros whom the ghosts will fear". Finally, the style was incorporated in the training of the bodyguards of the last emperor, Pu Yi, Mao Zedong, and the presidential bodyguards of Chiang Kai-shek, the latter being taught by General Liu Yunqiao himself. Although there are many accounts of Liu's pre-revolution exploits as a secret service agent in the Chiang Kai-shek Government, it was his master, Li Shuwen, from whom the style took on its mythological proportions.

Li Shuwen (1864 - 1934) was also known as the "God of the Spear" and had a substantial number of formal students who also served as military leaders mainly in Shandong Province. Li was a notorious fighter and known primarily for his ruthless matches. According to oral tradition, almost everyone who challenged him ended up dead. His reputation was built upon his extreme striking power and his practice of telling opponents exactly what technique would be employed to bring about their demise. One of his favorite techniques was to use a collapsing palm on top of the acupuncture point of the head (baihui), resulting in the crushing and collapse of the opponent's spine and neck. To develop such power, "God of the Spear" Li is said to have intensely practiced one-arm thrusts with a large spear roughly twelve to sixteen feet long. Overall, he was a man to be feared. As a youth, even Liu feared the severity of Li's training methods.

Unfortunately, these exploits eventually brought about Li Shuwen's own downfall. At the request of others, one of his students murdered him by serving him poisoned tea. Luckily, Liu had a much friendlier disposition, although his training methods could be just as severe to neophyte martial artists.

BAJIQUAN : EIGHT EXTREMES BOXING

The meaning of bajiquan can be interpreted at a number of different levels. The most literal translation suggests the fist going in eight infinite directions. But the flavor of the system is best conveyed as the use of the whole body exploding from inside out, radiating power in all directions. The "Baji Sixteen Word Verse" describes its range of power and techniques as: entangling, pulling, poking, kneading, crushing, pressing, bursting, shaking, leaning, striking, etc. Modern categorizations often cite bajiquan as an "external" system or, in more generous moments, as an "external/internal" system. In both public and private instruction, Liu seldom, if ever, broke down the training of the system into such categories.

ajiquan conceptually incorporates wuxing (five elements) and also employs energies (jing, or internal strengths) similar to those found in Chen taijiquan's older forms. In fact, baji, like Chen taiji, utilizes similar breathing and "standing post" exercises. Interestingly, Liu and the great taijiquan master, Chen Fake, were introduced to each other during their public demonstrations in 1928 at a Beijing military academy. Both were so impressed by the similar power of their respective systems that they met privately the following day and exchanged material and techniques. No one is certain as to the details of this exchange during the day, but Liu always held Chen taiji in very high esteem. When Liu opened his Wu Tang Martial Arts Development Center in Taiwan, he created routines on three levels which were abstracted from the original Chen style. His concern was that mainland China and Taiwan would never be united and few people, other than formal students would be willing to learn and practice the long forms. Thus, the abstracted versions were seen as a way of preserving the essentials of the style while simultaneously providing a means by which the general public could learn it. He considered Chen style taiji to be one of the most effective fighting arts and sent many of his disciples directly to master Du Yuze for instruction in the longer, more traditional forms.(4) Master Du had learned his system of Chen taiji from Chen Fake's father, Chen Yenxi, and was held in high respect by Liu.

PIGUAZHANG : SPLITTING / HANGING PALM

Bodily power development in some traditional wushu systems is often said to be derived from observing various animals in their natural habitat. In bajiquan, the bear and tiger are imitated. In piguazhang, the eagle and monkey are imitated. Mystical states aside, the primary purpose of the animal imitation is to acquire the same type of body movements so that the fighting techniques utilize the entire power of the body in a similar manner. For example, when a bear attacks and strikes with its paws, the waist and shoulders generate the power expressed in the outer extremities. From observing such body movements, the wushu practitioner attempts to distill training techniques which can be employed to similarly generate such power with their own body.

Basic training in the bajiquan system is very systematic and builds the practitioner from the ground up, emphasizing proper structure and postures. Training focuses on developing effective punching power through the involvement of the entire body using structural alignments centered on the head, shoulders, elbows, hands, tailbone, kua(5), knees, and feet (the "baji essentials"). The cornerstone of this process begins with the infamous ma bu, or horse stance training.