This photo shows the cover of an English book for ba duan jin practitioners, compiled by the China Health Qigong Association. [Photo/amazon.com]

However, traditional Chinese sports, including the ba duan jin qigong exercise, have been making a comeback since 2003 when the China Health Qigong Association under the General Administration of Sports began compiling books about "health qigong" and had the books published by the People's Sports Press in both Chinese and English.

The book project has been a key part of the general administration's Quanmin Jianshen Program which promotes easy-to-learn, hearth-enhancing sports among the general public.

The best-selling English editions of health qigong exercises, including Ba Duan Jin, Yi Jin Jing, Wu Qin Xi and Liu Zi Jue (six-healing-sounds), are available in major online bookstores, coupled with DVDs. Meanwhile, some ba duan jin enthusiasts have uploaded their performances onto video streaming platforms such as Youtube for free viewing.