Liu Jing Ru, an 9th Dan (Highest level in China) Chinese martial artist with nearly 70 years of practice in the art of Bagua Zhang. Liu was born in 1936 in Gaoyang County, Hebei Province. He has held several key positions in the Beijing Bagua Zhang Research Association, including serving as the first vice-secretary, second vice-president, third vice-supervisor, and fourth supervisor. He is currently the vice-president of the Beijing Bagua Zhang Research Association and is one of the primary inheritors of Bagua Zhang.
In 1957, Liu became a disciple of the renowned Beijing martial artist Luo Xingwu, studying Xingyi Quan and Cheng-style Bagua Zhang. During the 1960s, he trained under Qiu Zhihe, a disciple of Zhang Zhan Kui (aka Zhang Zhao Dong), to further his skills in Bagua Zhang and LuoXuanQuan (Spiral Boxing). Later, he studied Yin-style Bagua Zhang under He Zhongqi, the grandson of Yin Fu, and learned Six Harmonies Praying Mantis Boxing from Dan Xiangling of Huang County, Shandong Province. Additionally, he received guidance from esteemed martial artists Cheng Youxin, Liu Tanfeng, Wang Wenkui, and others, mastering the essence of Bagua Zhang, Xingyi Quan, and Six Harmonies Praying Mantis.
In 1963, Liu participated in the Beijing Wushu Competition and won first place in the adult Xingyi-Bagua group for Bagua Zhang. In 1979, he earned a gold medal in Bagua Zhang at the first National Wushu Observation and Performance Conference held in Nanning, Guangxi. In 1980, at the second National Wushu Observation Conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi, he again secured the gold medal in Bagua Zhang.
In 1980, under the leadership of the Dongcheng Sports Committee in Beijing, Liu co-founded the Beijing Dongcheng Martial Arts Academy, the first martial arts academy established in China after the Cultural Revolution, along with Li Bingci and three others. He taught there for over a decade, training many talented Bagua Zhang practitioners. Subsequently, he was appointed as the Bagua Zhang coach for the Beijing Wushu Team, where his students achieved remarkable success. His student Ge Chun Yan won five consecutive gold medals in Bagua Zhang at national Wushu competitions, while Zhang Hongmei and Zhuang Hui also secured gold medals in Bagua Zhang at national events.
Other students, including Han Yanwu, Han Yanming, Jia Yong’an, Ren Shouran, Kong Cheng, Liu Hui, and Xiang Zheng, achieved outstanding results in Beijing Wushu competitions.
In recent years, Liu has dedicated himself to promoting Bagua Zhang worldwide. He has conducted seminars and taught in countries such as France, Greece, Italy, Belgium, the United States, Australia, and Japan, with students and disciples spanning the globe. At the 2006 International Wushu Festival in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, his French student Yehoma won gold medals in the adult male group for Bagua Zhang and Deer Horn Knife (Ziwu Yuanyang Yue).
Liu has also contributed to the global recognition of Bagua Zhang through publications and instructional VCDs released in countries like Italy, Greece, and France. His efforts have significantly advanced the international reach and influence of Bagua Zhang.
