On December 10, 2023, a cultural event, presided over by the director of the China Cultural Center in Kuwait Mr. Xia Jianfeng, was held in the center to promote Tai Chi. Members of the China Medical Team to Kuwait and instructors who teach martial arts to foreigners in Kuwait explained the basic Tai Chi knowledge and essential ingredients of the exercise for over 100 participants, including members of the local martial arts association, Tai Chi practitioners, enthusiasts of Chinese culture, and students and teachers from local schools. They also demonstrated the basic moves and poses at the packed event.
Mr. Xia Jianfeng said, as a form of traditional Chinese martial arts, Tai Chi has transcended borders and cultural differences to become a worldwide sport. Tai Chi is an integral part of traditional Chinese culture and a great heritage of humanity. The culture of Tai Chi emphasizes the relationship between humans and nature, pursues physical and psychological benefits and values harmony between man and nature. More than just a kind of martial arts, Tai Chi represents a way of thinking, a style of art and a form of behavior. Practicing Tai Chi has been an effective way to perceive the Chinese culture.
At the event, the smooth movements of the instructors were a vivid manifestation of the characteristics of Tai Chi which stresses the concept of softness versus hardness and the balance between two opposing forces called yin and yang. Their impressive performance drew rounds of applause. Members of the China Medical Team also presented the Tai Chi fan dance. Their postures, graceful and vigorous, also provided visual enjoyment for the participants and brought down the house.
Ms. Maha, a coach in the Kuwait School Handball Federation, said that Tai Chi is incredible and she is impressed by so many magic moves and poses. Just like different civilizations learn from each other, learning how to practice Tai Chi can help handball players to get better results in sports competitions, she added. Other enthusiasts of martial arts in Kuwait responded that Tai Chi is good for health, more importantly, it gives them opportunities to make new friends through more people-to-people exchanges between China and Kuwait. They looked forward to more such cultural events in the China Cultural Center and hoped the culture of Chinese martial arts would be carried forward in the country.
