Every morning, hundreds of people gather in Beijing's parks to practice tai chi. They move slowly, like birds spreading their wings. This ancientancient/ˈeɪnʃənt/L2古代的；古老的very old; from a long time ago practice is more than 300 years old. It helps people find balance and well-being in a fast-paced city. Most practitionerspractitioners/prækˈtɪʃənərz/L2从业者；实践者；这里指练习太极的人people who regularly do a particular activity, especially a sport or art are retireesretirees/rɪˈtaɪərz/L2退休人员people who have stopped working because they have reached a certain age over 60 years old. For example, Ye Guirong, 64, leads a group called Cypress Grove. She started tai chi in 2010 after seeing a group in the park. "I thought it looked good, so I started practicing," she said.
Tai chi has two meanings in China. It is a martial art called Taijiquan, and it is also a philosophyphilosophy/fɪˈlɒsəfi/L2哲学；思想体系the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, and the meaning of life; a set of beliefs called Taiji. One key idea is qi, or vitalvital/ˈvaɪtəl/L2至关重要的；生命必需的extremely important; necessary for life energy. This energy flows through the body. In traditional Chinese medicine, health depends on good qi flow. "Practices like tai chi are about improving the flow of qi in the body," said Professor James Miller. The movements have names like "White Crane Spreads Its Wings." New members learn basic moves from a teacher. Their progress is checked until they reach a new level.
The Temple of Heaven is a popular place for tai chi. It was built in the 15th century by a Ming emperor. Today, it is a tourist attraction with open gardens. Ye's group meets at 7:40 a.m. every day. They practice Yang-style tai chi for about 90 minutes. The group has around 30 people. Zu Hong, 59, joined recently and learned 24 movements in one month. "I thought tai chi looked very beautiful," she said. "I wanted to exerciseexercise/ˈeksərsaɪz/L1锻炼，运动physical activity that you do to stay healthy or become stronger, so I came here."
