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BEIJING (AP) — One arm raised and the other lowered, hundreds of people move every morning like birds spreading their wings at the heart of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven.
It’s a movement in tai chi, a physical and philosophical practice developed more than 300 years ago that continues to resonate in China today.
“The environment is great and the air is good too,” said Ye Guirong, 64. “You can see we’re surrounded by trees.”
Most practitioners are retirees in their 60s and beyond. Some exercise in groups while a speaker plays relaxing music in the background. Others move silently on their own.
Ye first encountered tai chi in 2010. Recently retired, she took walks across the city and one day spotted the group she now leads.
“I thought it looked good, so I started practicing,” Ye said.
Once a new member joins a group, its leader teaches the basic moves. The apprentice’s progress is reviewed and corrected periodically until a new level is achieved.
Among tai chi’s basic movements are “White Crane Spreads Its Wings,” in which one arm is raised while the other is lowered, and “Part the Wild Horse’s Mane,” a broad, fluid sequence in which the body weight shifts forward while the arms open gently in front of the chest...
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