UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritages in China (II) (7)

Taijiquan

The item, "Taijiquan" was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.

Taijiquan is a traditional physical practice characterized by relaxed, circular movements that works in concert with breath regulation and the cultivation of a righteous and neutral mind.

Originating during the mid-seventeenth century in Wenxian County in the Henan Province of central China, the element is now practised throughout the country by people of all ages and by different ethnic groups.

Influenced by Daoist and Confucian thought and theories of traditional Chinese medicine, the element has developed into several schools (or styles) named after a clan or a master’s personal name. The element is passed down through clan-based transmission or the master-apprentice model.