Tai Chi Chuan, the Art of Slow Movements
Tai Chi is an exercise that benefits people for all ages, especially the
seniors, who enjoy the soft, flowing movements.
 Celebrating the 50th
anniversary
Their movements were slow, graceful, continuous and
rounded and beautifully demonstrated the basic principles of China's most famous
martial art. A special group of 1,000 Chinese and Japanese performers made a
spectacular sight at the end of September at the Great
Wall .
They were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the simplified version of Tai
Chi Chuan. Though Tai Chi Chuan has a centuries-old history, it was only 50
years ago when Chinese masters created the simplified 24-form exercise routine.
This easier style has won popularity among millions of Chinese and millions of
more people in Japan and throughout the world.
Simplification of Tai Chi Chuan
Tai Chi Chuan first showed its unique advantages over other Chinese martial
arts in the 1953 National Sports Mass Meeting. It has no specific requirements
for space and apparatus. It can be practiced by either men or women and older or
younger practitioners alike.
Before the birth of the modern Tai Chi Chuan, its complexity and its many
different styles prevented it from spreading to the general public. The forms of
traditional Tai Chi Chuan may involve 85 to 100 different movements, which could
take more than 20 minutes to complete. Like Chinese dialects in different
regions, the forms of Tai Chi Chuan also varied significantly.
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