Appearing about 150 years ago and created by master Dong Haichuan (1796-1882), Baguazhang, emphasizes the circular shape of the body structure with an almost unique characteristic with respect to other styles:

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It combines a circular way of displacement with a turn or "twist" of all parts of the body upon themselves.

 

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Generating in the practitioner a type of power that in China is called "tornado power", fluid, firm and always changing movement.

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The style's best-known basic practice is called "walking the circle" - it is done by moving around over the circumference of a circle, looking towards the center of it, while performing different arm postures and direction changes.

 

This practice is an adaptation to boxing of the practice: "Walk the circle and venerate the sky", that the Taoists of various different schools have been performing since ancient times - in order to strengthen their bodies, temper the internal energy and train the mind, to be able to achieve high levels of meditation.