On March 1, in order to enable Mexican students who are learning Chinese language and local Chinese culture enthusiasts to have a better understanding of Chinese Tai Chi culture, Confucius Institute at the University of Guadalajara organized the first Chinese culture workshop on "Approaching Tai Chi - Feeling the Balance of Yin and Yang" of this academic year. The workshop was led by the teacher Zhang Hao from the Confucius Institute and attended by about 30 students and local people.
The workshop was divided into two parts, introducing the knowledge related to Tai Chi and first-hand experiencing. Mr. Zhang introduced the definition of Tai Chi, explained the difference between Tai Chi and traditional martial arts, elaborated on the cultural connotation of Tai Chi in terms of its Yin and Yang changes and balance, and interacted with the audience in a Q&A session with videos of Chen's Tai Chi and Yang's Tai Chi. Through the explanation, the audience on the spot understood that Chinese Tai Chi is mainly categorized by family name and stances, and its benefits for strengthening the body, as well as the current achievements of Tai Chi spreading in the world.
In the second part of the workshop, Mr. Zhang led the audience to exercise the three movements of Yang's Tai Chi 24 Movements, i.e. Starting Posture, Part the Wild Horse's Mane on Both Side, White Crane Spreads its Wings. The audience was enthusiastic about learning Tai Chi that they sweated to practice wholeheartedly, and the atmosphere was quite vibrant.
After the workshop, the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute collected the feedback from the audiences in the class and shared the information that CI plans to offer the Tai Chi courses in the near future. Participants said that they thought the workshop was very meaningful, and that they used to know about Tai Chi, but now they have a deeper understanding of it, and expressed their willingness to continue to participate in the Tai Chi lessons and to experience other cultural activities of the Confucius Institute.
