Editor’s note:

Exercising regularly is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. But the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has kept millions of people from partaking in outdoor activities since late January. Indoor workout has hence become an important way to stay healthy and protect against illness, especially in a time such as this.

Here’s a look at one of the most popular traditional Chinese indoor exercises people have been practicing for centuries and that have proved to be effective for health and fitness.

Tai chi practitioners give a collective performance in a park in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province, on Dec 2, 2017. Tai chi can also be an indoor exercise. [Photo/sz.gov.cn]

Tai chi

The term tai chi is derived from the Taoist philosophical concept of Tai Ji, aka tai chi, emphasizing a continued balance of yin and yang, the two opposing and interlocking forces in the universe, in constantly changing circumstances.

Tai chi, aka tai ji quan or tai chi chuan, is widely considered a graceful, slow-motion healing art and fitness regime for a healthy body and tranquil mind.

Also, tai chi is perceived by an increasingly larger audience worldwide as a type of Wushu – a set of floral, dance-like competition sports, usually performed by individual or a team of athletes, which will make its debut, as an official sport in Olympic competition, at the 2022 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

However, tai chi is essentially a lethal skill, used by warriors to kill in battlefields in ancient times and employed by escort guards to fend off robbery of passengers or cargoes until modern times.

It has also been used by security guards to beat attackers or even assassins. For example, Jack Ma, an e-commerce and tech tycoon and founder of the Alibaba Group, has Li Tianjin, a tai chi kung fu master as his chief bodyguard.