If you walk through a park in the morning or in the evening, you might see a lot of people doing these slow and beautiful movements—Carry the tiger over the mountain and White crane spreads its wings.
Taichi is an ancient martial art. It is a common kind of exercise in China. More than 100 million people in over 150 countries practise Taichi at present. Recently UNESCO has added Taichi to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List (非物质文化遗产名录). "This will make Taichi more popular around the world. " said Chen Bin. He is a Taichi master from the village of Chenjiagou, Henan Province. This village is the birthplace of Chen-style Taichi.
It can make us walk and move more freely, and it can also make us stronger. During slow movements, we can focus on our hands and feet. We can control them better. Slow movements also help us to take deep and long breaths.
Taichi also focuses on the balance between yin and yang. It shows how the ancient Chinese people saw the world. The world is full of yin and yang: dark and light, soft and hard, female and male. But they don't go against each other completely. As we see in the picture, a white spot is in the black area and a black spot is in the white area. After a dark night, the sun will rise. Everything keeps changing—that is how we should see the world.
Taichi carries traditional Chinese philosophy, such as being in harmony with nature and using softness to beat hardness. It has become a symbol of Chinese culture.
| A. Hopefully, more people will become healthier by practising it. B. Leaves fall in autumn but grow in spring. C. In fact, they are doing Taichi. D. It is true that Taichi is good for our health. E. Many Taichi fans were happy to hear of it. |
