Posted on 01/13/2021
3 min read
The tai chi teacher gently grips his student … before suddenly sending him to the ground. With a smile: like them, the Chinese say they are “proud” of the inclusion of this martial art in the world heritage.
“It is very gratifying that our culture can help make people all over the world fitter.“Wang Zhanjun, 47, told AFP in his training room on the outskirts of Tian’anmen Square in Beijing.
“I’m very happy“, emphasizes with his four students this imposing fellow with a shaved head, multi-medalist figure of tai chi, who taught his techniques to the actor Jet Li, star of action films.
Tai chi, under its Chinese name “taijiquan” (pronounced taï-dzi-tsuane), was inscribed in mid-December by Unesco on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
This is a new stage for the international recognition of Chinese civilization, after calligraphy (2009), Peking opera (2010) or even acupuncture (2010).
A centuries-old martial art, tai chi was originally designed for the battlefield. It is now mainly seen as a form of physical exercise or gentle gymnastics.
It is practiced by countless people of all ages in China, especially in the streets or parks, where they can be seen making slow and fast movements to maintain body and mind.
“More beautiful”
“I am small“Wang Xuewu, a 63-year-old tai chi teacher, who teaches in the cobbled alleys of the lush green Ritan Park (” Temple of the Sun “) in Beijing’s diplomatic district, told AFP.
“To avoid being bullied by people older than me, I learned wrestling, tai chi and martial arts very early on as a means of self-defense.. “
“Me, it got rid of my asthma“, declares a little further Lan Guizhen, a practitioner of 75 years who welcomes the decision of Unesco.
“That tai chi is known and recognized by the rest of the world, it is a great pride!“
Tai chi consists of performing a series of solo movements or fighting gestures against an opponent. It is known to improve posture, strengthen the body or strengthen joint flexibility.
Another advantage and not the least: tai chi “makes its practitioners more beautiful and its female practitioners more beautiful“, assures Wang Zhanjun with a smile.
According to him, a benefit due to sports practice but also to the fact of being able to better manage his breathing and thus increase the oxygen content of the blood.
Tai chi suffered during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), where the masters were persecuted because they were accused of propagating a “feudal” art. Once this period of Maoist hysteria had passed, the discipline had to be resuscitated by launching a major restart of practices, then reforming teachers and practitioners.
Anti-Covid?
“In the years 1980-1990, my father, a master of the discipline, went to Japan, Europe and especially France to popularize tai chi“, explains Wang Zhanjun.
“The work of the previous generation is now bearing fruit, as many foreigners now go the other way and come (to China) to learn. “
Tai chi is not a uniform discipline. It has several “schools”, often identified by the name of a clan and whose practices differ.
In the West, the “Yang” style, with its circular and slow movements, is generally the most popular. That of the “Chen” school, which Wang Zhanjun practices, includes more lively movements, more marked by the fighting DNA of tai chi.
To this can be added the use of weapons: swords, sticks or daggers.
Many tai chi competitions are organized. But for the time being, perhaps due to the difficulty of unifying its different styles, it is not recognized as an Olympic discipline.
In the meantime, it could prove useful … against Covid-19, assures Wang Zhanjun.
“The practice of tai chi helps strengthen our physical constitution, our immunity and our cardio-pulmonary capacity.“, he emphasizes.”It is obviously beneficial against diseases and Covid“.