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Sports in China The sports that are played in China include basketball, football, table tennis, badminton and volleyball. Increasingly, western sports such as golf are becoming more popular. "Most people want to learn the saber. I think it's because they know it from Zorro." Armed with electric swords and shrouded behind metal masks, two men in white salute each other, before squaring off to fight. This scene may seem like something out of Star Wars, but it is the centuries-old art of fencing and it can now be found in Beijing. China is famous for many things: tea, inventing paper, Chinese food, little yellow bread box taxi cabs, and of course kung fu. But not so many people know much about another part of Chinese culture: qigong. There are many different types of qigong (pronounced chee-gohng), but the basic idea is to strengthen your "qi," or energy. He spreads a piece of newspaper on the smooth floor of his hutong home, places two bricks, lays a 10-centimeter thick rock across them. "I will show you how powerful it is," he says. "Kai!" An explosive shout fills the room and He Zhenwei's hand shatters the gray slab into four jagged pieces. Tae Kwon Do: The Best Form of Defense Originating on the Korean Peninsula 1,500 years ago, tae kwon do is a system of self defense similar to karate and Chinese gongfu. In contrast to boxing and wrestling in western countries, tae kwon do attaches more importance to the sense of balance and the beauty of action. D usty wind calms to gentle breeze. Heat returns to the city. The first rays of pure sunshine emerge and crazy and contented Beijingers are up early to savor the morning air. Singly or in groups, young or old, they exercise freeform nameless calisthenics or fluid tai qi. Â There are emerging mang fitness centers in China, especially in the ancient capital of Beijing. You would get in shape when you become a member of one fitness center. Come on! |
