Bagua

The legacy of the Founder Zhang Sanfeng
Almost 800 years after Zhang Sanfeng (张三丰) was preaching the texts of the Dao De Jing (道德经) at “The Five Dragons Temple” (wǔlóng gōng, 五龙宫) in Wudangshan, his legacy lives on. In its preservation throughout history by Taoist scholars and revolutionary heroes, the system of Wudang internal martial arts was passed on from one generation to the next, and was thus at times difficult to trace over the course of the centuries past. The Taoist culture and practices of Wudangshan had its moments of flourishing and its moments of being close to extinction. The unique arts of Wudangshan are now open to the public so that the knowledge can spread and live on forever. At the beginning Zhang Sanfeng had a humble amount of disciples who followed him to live in huts around the early temples of the mountain. They were studying the stars, energy, medicine and martial arts, thus forming the legacy we still keep alive to this very day. Based on the Taoist Principles, the knowledge about Yin and Yang, the Five Element Theory and the martial heritage of the Song Shan (嵩山) “Shaolin Temple”, this movement grew strong. A movement that would change the world of martial arts forever. It is considered that the modern forms of Taiji Quan, Xingyi Quan and Bagua Zhang were born out of this movement, and Wudangshan was, and still is, a place for people to gather for internal martial arts practice and self cultivation.