It is not a question which style is better, the best style is the one that suits the student's nature and physical abilities. We could further elaborate about the vast history of Pa Kua, and the fighting ability of the past masters, but for now I feel you have a good general idea of Pa Kua's formation. For those who wish to study history even deeper there are many good reference books available. With a little effort a great deal of historical information can be obtained from these reference books. Understanding the history of our art is an invaluable asset, but there is nothing better than the first hand experience of learning Pa Kua, which is worth all the history books in China.
Nothing compares to the hands-on experience learned from a qualified teacher.
These are questions the novice wants to know about, so we will try to clarify some of these points. As I said in the beginning, Pa Kua still remains elusive to the average American. Unless you have some background in Chinese Martial Arts most of what you read will seem confusing to you. The average beginner can even witness a class in Pa Kua and still be confused by what all the circular movements mean in terms of combat. The first thing to understand is that there are two types of movements that the human body is capable of.