BC: By: Tomy Muci
FC: The Ancient Chinese Martial Art of TaiChi
1: What is Tai Chi? | Tai Chi is one of the major philosophies in China, probably the second one after Kung Fu; it is practical, visionary, technical and said to be magical. It is said that it spans the realms body, mind and ones spirit. People say that practicing every day brings three major benefits; enduring health and a sense of well being, improves skills in working with other people and a regular reminder of the human connection to the web of life and the cosmos. Monks at the Buddhist monastery of Shao Lin were perform the exercises emulating the five creatures; the Mighty Bear, the Swift Bird, the Flexible Deer, the Agile monkey and the Ferocious Tiger. It is also a form of exercise that teaches you attack and defense that is popular throughout the world. Tai Chi is a chain of movements that flow as a river; all moves are natural not forced. Tai chi is supposed to connect you to the cosmos (Space). Tai Chi is a system of movement, exercise, awareness-training, self-development and material training suitable for an unusually range of people. Each Tai Chi style has its own form or a number of forms which differ from those of other styles in postures included, the order in which they appear, the way they are performed and how long they take to run through or play.
3: What are the origins of TaiChi | Tai Chi originated some 5000 years ago around 3000BCE (Before Common Era) so it originated some 5 millennia ago, during the reign of Chinas mythical first emperor, Fu Hsi. The early Tai Chi teachers in china where semi-mythical figures and still are (some of them.) Tai Chi is said to have been born from WU Chi, the great Void, and the original state of cosmic emptiness. People say that most of the martial arts in china were born from the Shaolin Temple (birthplace of all martial arts in china.) The Principals of the art were established by Taoist recluses who retired from the world to live as hermits, immersing themselves in a study of nature. And evolved during turbulent periods in China’s history as a martial art called Tai Chi. Many people practiced Tai Chi close to the area of the Yangtze River. Although Tai Chi is thought to have originated before the first millennia, the earliest know references date from the T’ang Dynasty. They describe “patterns” of Tai Chi practiced by recluses who had retired to China’s mountain regions to study nature. These “patterns” are believed to have been chins of movements which were perhaps the precursor of the Tai Chi form. Now Tai Chi is spread worldwide.
5: "Tai" and "Chi" in the chinese alphabet and what they have to do with Ying and Yang. | In the Chinese alphabet there are more than three thousand letters! The word “TAI” and the word “Chi” express a double superlative often translated to English literally as “Supreme Ultimate” or more simply as “The Cosmos.” Tai Chi is based on a symbol that is very famous in China, two complementary forces Ying and Yang what our world is made of because everything has an opposite force like Light and Darkness. Ying is the feminine side that is Inward, Smooth, Holding, Receiving, Listening, Dark, Earth, Soft and no boundaries, and the masculine side(Yang) has Outward, Rough, Sending, Giving, speaking, Light, Sky, Hard and Clear Boundaries( I for one don’t understand the boundaries part.) The Chinese gave animals the sides of the balance, Ying is the Dragon, a very important figure in Chinese history and Yang is the tiger, another very important figure in Chinese history.
6: Quiz... | Around when was Tai Chi invented? What is the name of the birthplace of Tai Chi? What good does Tai Chi bring? What is the pourpos of Tai Chi? What are your thoughts abot Tai Chi?
7: Photo Bibliography | blue tai chi foto: https://sites.google.com/a/docevillena.com/doce/horarios-yoga-pilates-tai-chi | man holding ying yang ball: http://www.easternhealingcenter.com/En/essence_tai_chi.htm | dragon and tiger: http://www.easternhealingcenter.com/En/essence_tai_chi.htm
8: Info Bibliography | Chuan, Tai Chi. “Encyclopdia Britannica.” Encyclopdia Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopdia Britannica, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2010.