Bājíquán (Chinese: 八極拳) features explosive, short-range power and is famous for elbow strikes. It originated in the Hebei Province of Northern China, and spread to Taiwan. Its full name kai men baji quan (開門八極拳) means “open-gate eight-extremities fist”.
Baji quan was originally called bazi quan (巴子拳 or 鈀子拳) or “rake fist” because fists are held loosely and slightly open, are used to strike downwards in a rake-like fashion. The name was considered crude in its native tongue, so changed to baji quan. The term baji comes from the Yijing (I-Ching), and signifies an “extension of all directions”.
The first Bājíquán teacher was Wu Zhong (吳鍾) (1712–1802). Other notable teachers included Wu Xiufeng (吳秀峰) and Li Shuwen (李書文) (1864–1934). The latter was from Cangzhou (滄州), Hebei, and acquired the nickname “God of Spear Li”. A Beijing opera Wu Shen (martial male character) by training, he was also an expert fighter. His most famous quote is, “I do not know what it’s like to hit a man twice.” Li Shuwen’s students included Huo Dian Ge (霍殿閣) (bodyguard to Pu Yi, the last Emperor of China), Li Chenwu (bodyguard to Mao Zedong), and Liu Yun Qiao (劉雲樵) (secret agent for the nationalist Kuomintang and instructor of the Chiang Kai Shek‘s bodyguards). Baji quan has since acquired a reputation as the “bodyguard style”. Ma Feng Tu (馬鳳圖) and Ma Yin Tu (馬英圖) introduced baji into the Central Guoshu Institute (Nanjing Guoshu Guan 南京國術館) where it is required for all students.[2]
Baji quan shares roots with another Hebei martial art, Piguazhang. It is said that Wu Zhong, the oldest traceable master in the baji lineage, taught both arts together as an integrated fighting system.[3] They eventually split apart, only to be recombined by Li Shuwen in the late 18th to early 19th century. As a testament to the complementary nature of these two styles, a proverb states: “When pigua is added to baji, gods and demons will all be terrified. When baji is added to pigua, heroes will sigh knowing they are no match against it.” (八極參劈掛，神鬼都害怕。劈掛參八極，英雄嘆莫及)[3]
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bāj%C3%ADquán)