Tai chi flows into the heart of Chongqing

More than 600 tai chi practitioners brought a centuries-old tradition into the public eye at Chaotianmen Square in Chongqing on Nov 7, turning the riverside landmark into an open-air showcase of the martial art's enduring appeal and continued transmission.

The event, titled "Tai Chi for a Healthy Life," was part of the ninth China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo and brought together inheritors of eight major tai chi schools.

It was jointly organized by the Tai Chi Professional Committee of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, the Chongqing Municipal Administration of Sports and the Yuzhong district government.

Against the backdrop of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers converging, practitioners in traditional tai chi uniforms performed a series of routines, combining slow, controlled movements with changes in pace and strength.

The program opened with a collective performance of the foundational tai chi training system of Eight Methods and Five Steps, followed by demonstrations by younger and middle-aged inheritors and masters representing the different schools.

The event concluded with a group performance of the 24-form tai chi routine, led by heritage practitioners onstage and joined by hundreds of performers below. The display attracted passersby and residents, many of whom stopped to watch.

Organizers said the outdoor format was intended to take intangible cultural heritage beyond exhibition halls and bring traditional practice closer to the public through an accessible urban setting.

Jiang Jiding, director of the Tai Chi Professional Committee of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, said the gathering brought together practitioners from different schools and generations, demonstrating the martial art's broad community base and vitality.

"Tai chi originated in China and belongs to the world," Jiang said.

Tai chi was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. In 2026, it also marked the first International Tai Chi Day, further raising its international profile.

A symposium was also held ahead of the performance, bringing together national-level and younger inheritors to discuss the protection, transmission and innovation of tai chi, as well as ways to promote its practice through public performances.