Why tai chi and qigong are great for health and where to learn in English in Hong Kong
The Chinese ‘internal’ arts of tai chi and qigong offer a host of health benefits and are slowly becoming more accessible to English speakers
When I began exploring wellness strategies nine years ago, I looked for a remedy that gyms could not provide.
As a lifelong Hongkonger, I had envied the serenity of the elders moving through graceful qigong and tai chi sequences in parks at dawn. I wanted what they had; instead, I found frustration.
While English-language yoga studios thrived on every corner, finding the Chinese “internal” arts in English was nearly impossible.
I eventually discovered a teacher in a faded Sai Ying Pun walk-up who spoke limited English. During our first session, he mockingly waved his arms in feeble circles, mimicking the practitioners I’d seen in Central’s Botanical Gardens. “This thing you see people doing in the parks?” he said scathingly. “This is not tai chi!”
Today, while a handful of English-speaking instructors have emerged, the tradition remains largely inaccessible to expats and younger Chinese alike. Yoga still reigns supreme in Hong Kong, despite science finally validating the profound benefits of the ancient Chinese breath-movement traditions.
