CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- This generation of young people refer to Baduanjin (or Eight Pieces of Brocade) as "Chinese Pamela". Baduanjin is a traditional Chinese fitness technique consisting of eight simple movements, each targeting specific body parts and organs.

After visiting some communities, night schools, and squares for Dam Dance in the central urban area of Chongqing, the reporter found that training classes for Baduanjin were very popular, and lots of young people born in the 1990s and 2000s started to learn Baduanjin.

Is Baduanjin really a fitness exercise that is more suitable for Chinese? Why are young people obsessed with new Chinese exercises? Let’s take a closer at these Chinese exercises with the reporter

Night school courses for Baduanjin get viral

Courses for Baduanjin have attracted nearly a hundred young people to sign up

“Draw the bow both to the left and right like shooting the eagle” “Clearing the heart fire by shaking the head and wagging the Tail”...

Every Wednesday evening at 7:30 pm, in an activity room of the night school of Youth International Community in Hezuo Village, Jiangbei District, Chongqing, as a soothing music is played, people regulate their breath by following the command, and slowly and forcefully stretch their bodies.

Since this March, the Youth International Community in Hezuo Village, Jiangbei District has offered Night School courses for Baduanjin. In just two months, it attracted nearly a hundred people to sign up.

Here, 50 yuan will be charged for each course, which lasts for 1 hour, with at least eight or nine students present. The students, generally around 30 years old, are office workers from all walks of life. Most of them live nearby and come to class after class and dinner.

In late May, the reporter also came to the night school and experienced one Baduanjin course.

Teacher Zheng Shuangqing, 55 years old, has been engaged in training and teaching of Baduanjin and Tai Chi for many years. Zheng Shuangqing introduced that this class just started in early May with a total of 4 courses, which allows student to master Baduanjin within one month.

At 7:30 pm, the course started. After warm-up, students started to perform Baduanjin under the guidance of the teacher. The reporter also followed the teacher's movements absorbedly, squatting down slightly, holding both hands up, and drawing the bow with both hands...Accompanied by soothing music and following the teacher's command, the reporter performed Baduanjin without knowing that 15 minutes had passed.

After the follow-up, the teacher explained the essentials of each movement to the students. Baduanjin consists of eight pieces. The teacher not only patiently explained the key points of each posture, but also taught them how to control breath. Students were fully immersed in each movement, constantly adjusting their movements, and occasionally asked questions in class.

The one-hour course quickly ended. Feeling hot through the whole body and slightly sweating, the reporter felt comfortable physically and calm in mind.

Perform a set of Baduanjin moves after work

Students exclaimed that they felt comfortable both physically and mentally and their mental state has been improved

During the experiential course, several students talked about their original intention of learning Baduanjin with the reporter.

"There are many courses about Baduanjin on the Internet, but it will be faster to learn offline from the teacher." Ms. Zhang, in her early thirties this year, who was a nurse, said that she learned Baduanjin out of needs for work, not just for the purpose of enhancing physical fitness because she wanted to obtain more knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine from the teacher.

Ms. Miao often practiced yoga in her daily life and preferred preserving health in Chinese manner, but she had never heard of Baduanjin, so she decisively enrolled in the courses for Baduanjin when she happened to see such courses offered by the night school.

Mr. Su, who attended the class, introduced that he had suffered from soreness of waist and shoulder pain for sitting in the office all year round, and often felt physically exhausted after work, so his wife signed up for Baduanjin courses for him and encouraged him to exercise through "new Chinese fitness".

When starting to learn, Mr. Su felt stiff and uncoordinated in his limbs, and his body was not well suited. However, after concentrated on practicing, he was getting to the good part. "I used to lie on the sofa when I got home, while now I come to perform a set of Baduanjin moves after work. I am not only physically relaxed, but also energetic," said he.

Mr. Su has an exercise plan for his family. After the class finishes, he will take the lead in practicing Baduanjin with his whole family at home to enhance their physical fitness.

What are the benefits of performing Baduanjin?

Doctor: Strengthening the heart and lungs, benefiting qi and nourishing blood, regulating the spleen and stomach…

What are the benefits of Performing Baduanjin? Is new Chinese fitness really reliable?

"Very reliable!" Zhang Qian, the director of the Department of General Medicine at Southwest Hospital of the Army Medical University, listed multiple benefits of Baduanjin for the human body in an interview - it can enhance cardiovascular function, improve the ability of the body to uptake oxygen, strengthen spleen and stomach function, improve sleep, relieve insomnia and anxiety, strengthen tendons and bones, and improve the body's flexibility and coordination…

Zhang Qian introduced that compared with other exercises, Baduanjin is more suitable for a wider range of ages, such as office workers who work at desks for a long time and lack exercises, middle-aged and elderly people, sub-healthy group, and people with chronic illness, all of whom can enhance their physical fitness by practicing Baduanjin.

However, some people should be prudent when practicing Baduanjin.

Zhang Qian reminded that Baduanjin contains movements such as rotating joints and squatting, so patients with acute gastroenteritis, arthritis, spinal injury, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, etc., should reduce the range of movements or suspend practice so as not to make it worse.

Are you ready to start practicing the highly popular Baduanjin? (Translated by Hu Chuanmin, Fathom Language Limited)