Every morning, millions of people in China do Tai-chi. It is popular with women and men. Tai-chi is a good kind of exercise for old people. It is good for the body and for the mind. It is healthy and relaxing. Tai-chi is from China. It is hundreds of years old. Tai-chi is a "soft" martial art(武术).That means it is slow and calm.
There are also "hard" martial arts. Shaolin Kung-fu, for example, which has a history of over 1,500 years, is a "hard" martial art. It is fast and dangerous. You have to be very fit and strong to do "hard" martial arts.
In Beijing, Master Li Yu is teaching Shaolin Kung-fu to thirty young students, three of whom come from abroad. "Shaolin Kung-fu is difficult," said Li Yu. "You must practise every move many times."
Sports like football and basketball are also popular in China. But martial arts like Tai-chi and Kung-fu are part of Chinese culture and history.