"Going abroad" has become a popular phrase in China as its fast
growing enterprises are doing more business outside. Traditional
Chinese culture is also following this trend. Qigong, one
of the cultural symbols, is going abroad to show off the skills
which have taken thousands of years to develop.
When Chinese around the world celebrate their Lunar New Year
next month, six delegations, organized by the Chinese Health Qigong
Association (CHQA), will visit seven countries - Canada, Britain,
France, Belgium, Germany, Australia and the United States, all
places they have never been before.??
During the visits, 40 plus trainers of qigong, a system
of deep breathing exercises, will demonstrate their skills in
squares of big cities, and hold news conferences to introduce this
Chinese traditional art of fitness.
According to Zou Jijun, vice president and secretary general of
the CHQA, these qigong trainers are professors in sports
universities, and state-level trainers from China's provincial
areas. In order to better promote Health Qigong, they will
also train local trainers so that the trainers can spread the
concept abroad.
"Health Qigong is a gem of Chinese traditional culture.
Its Chinese characteristics and healthy lifestyle may attract
foreigners who are interested in Chinese culture and health," said
Zou.
As the double-digit growth of China's economy continues, Chinese
traditional culture has become a focus for the outside world. Some
typical Chinese symbols, like martial arts, acupuncture and tai
chi have spread around the globe.
Qigong (also written as Chi Kung) refers to
the type of exercise that manages the health of mind, body and
breath. The word consists of two Chinese characters: qi
and gong. Qi, as used in the context of the
phrase qigong, refers to both the signal that controls the
functioning of the body and the actual functions of the body. The
word gong is the short form for gong fu (kung
fu), which means training with time and effort.
In its 5,000-year history, qigong has absorbed
different traditional Chinese cultural schools. The CHQA said that
Confucians practise qigong to cultivate mind and body;
Taoists and Buddhists do it to transcend worldliness; Chinese
doctors use it to cure illness and maintain health; and martial
arts practitioners do it to defend and fight attacks.
Nowadays, qigong has been classified into two
categories: one is Medical Qigong, which is used in some
Chinese traditional medical treatment, and the other is Health
Qigong, which people use to stay healthy.
Zou said that based on traditional qigong practices and
the needs of modern society, the CHQA has released four sets of
practice forms, the oldest one of which, Wu Qin Xi (Frolics of Five
Animals) dates back some 2,000 years ago. They have been widely
practiced in China. Chinese people practiced it to prevent minor
diseases, improve their immune system and prolong life.
"Body activity can decrease fat, while strength practice can
prevent calcium depletion, which is the major cause of
osteoporosis. It also can help improve heart-lung function.
Adjusting the breath can improve the functions of internal organs,"
said Professor Hu Xiaofei of Beijing Sports University. Hu is a
professor and an expert in sports health preservation. As a member
of a delegation, Hu will visit the United States next month as a
trainer.?
Because of its effectiveness, Health Qigong is popular.
Every morning, senior citizens gather in parks and on river banks
to practise qigong, making it a typical scene of Chinese
city life. Zou with the CHQA said that more than 80 million people
practise qigong throughout China.
At the same time, foreign people have been attracted to
qigong. Etsuko Kunisada, aged 31, is an example. She gave
up her well-paid job in a bank in Japan's Osaka March last year
when she decided to go to Beijing. Later, she became a fan of
Chinese culture and began to practise tai chi. After a
year of practice, she found it was still interesting, but had
become more and more difficult.
"When I practise tai chi, I need to practise how to
breathe. I find that tai chi and qigong are
interrelated, and qigong can help me breathe more
smoothly," said Etsuko. So she began to practise qigong
three times a week at Beijing Sports University (BSU). According to
the BSU, hundreds of foreigners like Etsuko come to the university
to study qigong every year.
In order to attract more foreign practitioners, Zou said the
CHQA has held three rounds of overseas promotion activities since
2006. They have visited nearly 30 countries, in which more than
50,000 foreign people watched their demonstrations, while 10,000
plus began to practise the exercise. Now the CHQA has more than 50
organizations overseas, and deployed trainers in 29 countries. A
total of 36 promotion activities have been planned for this
year.
"Qigong is a kind of vehicle, through which foreign
practitioners can better understand China and its traditional
culture," said Zou. When people enjoy their Chinese-style fitness,
they experience the unique Chinese concept of life and humanity at
the same time.
As the number of practitioners of tai chi and
qigong is increasing in Japan, Etsuko hoped she could open
a Chinese fitness center after returning home. With this promotion
method of training the trainers, Zou Jijun of the CHQA believes
that more and more foreigners will be interested in Health
Qigong.
"We are trying to introduce to the outside world a healthy
lifestyle," said Professor Hu Xiaofei, adding excessive nutrition
and insufficient body exercise cause a lot of modern diseases,
while the ancient Chinese noted some 2,000 years ago that being
moderate in eating was a healthy habit.
"Most of China's senior citizens enjoy healthy lives. They
practise tai chi and qigong in the parks every
morning, instead of laying on a bed with their lives being
maintained by medical equipment," said Hu.
"The concept of integration in China's health philosophy is
different from western medicine. By adjusting body, breath, and
mind, qigong makes the practitioners healthy and strong.
Foreigners may be interested in this integrated method," said
Zou.
Besides the attitude to health, qigong embraces far
more Chinese life philosophy, said Hu. Qigong
practitioners have to concentrate their minds when practicing. They
have to be peaceful and quiet during their practicing.
Qigong needs a moderate attitude, instead of being
emulative in competitive sports. All these requirements will help
build a moderate, peaceful and amiable character, a typical Chinese
person's character created mostly by Confucian
philosophy.?
"In the Chinese concept of health, the body, mind, moral
character and self-cultivation are all interrelated, thus
practicing qigong is learning the Chinese way to conduct
oneself in society at the same time," said Hu.
However, Hu believes what's more important is that the
philosophy qigong?promotes not only the integration
of body and mind, but also the environment and mankind, society and
individuals. In the rapidly growing modern international society
challenged by environmental pollution and social conflicts, this
philosophy seems critical for building a harmonious world.
"When people have fewer diseases and material desires, they can
live in harmony and peace," said Hu. "However, a result-oriented
attitude may lead to problems and failure. Instead, we should enjoy
the process and practise the lifestyle."
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2008)
