Today if you take an early morning walk in the cities or towns of China, you'll see people practicing Taichi Chuan in parks, on the sidewalks and open-air areas. Why it is so deeply loved and widely practiced by Chinese people? Let's find out.

Taichi meaning the great ultimate, one of the essential concepts of the ancient Chinese philosophy on the world system, first appeared in the Book of Change. Where there is Taichi, there is peace and harmony between the positive and the negative. Taichi theory holds that everything in the world is composed of two opposing but complementary aspects, Yin and Yang. The Yang is described as masculine in character, active, warm, dry, bright, procreative and positive. While Yin is the female or negative principle in nature, fertile, breeding, dark, cold, wet, secret and mysterious. This theory has been demonstrated in the famous Taichi Chart, which is known as the illustration of the motion of the world, shows symbolically the balance and coexistence of these two energies, Ying and Yang. The black in the chart stands for Yin and the white for Yang. The coexistence of the black and the white fishes in the same circle indicated that the Yin and Yang forces are present in everything.

Originating from the roots of classical Chinese culture, Taichi Chuan absorbed a variety of sources including the Book of Changes, Taoism and Buddhism. Taichi Chuan consists of a sequence of for involving every part of the body and executed in a highly stylized yet natural manner. You stand straight but not still. Your body is supple but not limp. Your movements are slow but steady, poised and powerful. After a period of exercising, you can train yourself to be physically as soft as an infant, as resilient as a twig in the wind, sensitive to the slightest pressure on any part of your body, and mentally alert.

First of all, Taichi Chuan lays emphasis on the concentration of the mind. It is believed that mental concentration can mobilize an internal energy current that in turn guides the physical movements. In other word, the movements are no longer the result of conscious physical effort but the effect of mental motion.

The second basic principle is synchronization of the movement. Physically all movements involved every part of the body, though each emphasizes some specific part. The whole Taichi Chuan sequence unfolds itself in an uninterrupted continuity. The body is naturally extended and relaxed with the hands, eyes, and limbs performing with the body as a whole. The performers should not concentrate the attention on a certain part.

While Taichi is basically an exercise for heath, its various forms are designed for self-defense. The foremost principle is never to attack first and when being attacked, never to counter force to defeat the attacker.

Because it requires natural and deep breathing, and smooth, rhythmic and balanced movements, Taichi Chuan can also increases the elasticity of the lung tissues and strengthen the bones, muscles and joints. These characteristics are important factors contributing to the prevention and curing of many diseases such as high blood pressure, neurasthenia and tuberculosis.