Liu He Ba Fa (六合八法) (also called: Six Harmonies Eight Methods, water
boxing, Temple Style, or Hwa Yu after the mountain where it was conceived,
alternately spelled: LiuHeBaFa, Liu Ho Pa Fa, Lok Hup Ba Fa, Lok Hop Pat
Fat, and abbreviated as: LHBF or LHPF) is a form of Chinese nei-gong or
internal exercise with combat fighting applications. It is the 'fourth
internal art', the other three being Xingyiquan, Baguazhang and Taijiquan.
Its principles are associated with a 'water' exercise method said to date
from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The Taoist sage Chen Po (Chen Tuan, Chen
Xi Yi, Chen Hsi I) is credited with its development. He was associated with
the Hua Shan Taoist monastery on Mount Hua in Shensi Province.
Liu He Ba Fa proponents say that it contains form and principle elements
from the arts of Xingyiquan, Baguazhang and Taijiquan. Each of these art
forms are believed by some schools to share principles extending back to
various precursor disciplines, Tao Yin, for one example.
The 'core' exercise is usually taught in 66 forms, in two parts, for
health or martial purposes. The complete Liu He Ba Fa system, taught in
Nanjing by Wu Yi Hui, includes training derived from external styles
reworked to complement the core form. There are very few teachers with the
full knowledge of the LHBF system.
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