Learning about Tai Chi and Traditional Chinese Medicine
By Melissa Vargas
This semester the LIU Global China Center students have had the opportunity to take elective courses on the Chinese martial art of Tai Chi, as well as traditional Chinese medicine. These courses are truly unique, hands-on opportunities for exploring Chinese culture and tradition. Both courses have also helped to balance our more rigorous courses like Intensive Mandarin and Global Studies.
Tai Chi
Our Tai Chi class serves as an introduction to the traditional Chinese longevity exercises of Yang style taijiquan, a soft-style Chinese martial art. Tai Chi’s categorization as a martial art initially misguided my ideas about what we would be learning, as I expected that we would be fighting each other somehow.
Our class, however, more specifically focuses on some of the basic movements of Tai Chi. Many of the movements that we learn double as movements applicable in self-defense, as well as movements that benefit health. More generally, the class has introduced us to the idea of Tai Chi as a form of non-strenuous exercise. Throughout Hangzhou, the city where we are based, it’s quite common to see groups of elderly people gathering in the evenings to practice Tai Chi movements for exercise.
Our instructor often compares Tai Chi to traditional forms of Western exercise, such as bodybuilding. He draws this comparison to highlight how focusing too much on building muscle and strength can often be unhealthy; poor posture and persistent aches and pains often accompany strenuous types of exercise. Alternatively, Tai Chi incorporates a focus on posture and mindfulness of what the body is feeling.
Once a week we have a session with our Tai Chi instructor, where we learn step by step movements with careful attention to technique. Throughout the class, we combine different movements into self-defense sequences. Being forced to slow down once a week and focus closely on specific body movements provides a nice break from traditional exercise.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Having a Traditional Chinese Medicine class is one of my favorite parts of the week. This class is held in a traditional Chinese medicine hospital in the city center, and while it takes a while to get to the hospital from our campus, the experience is always so worth it. The class is split up into two parts: a short lecture on the history and principles of traditional Chinese medicine followed by hands-on experience in the hospital.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is heavily based on the principles of qi (energy) and meridians. Meridians are thought to be connected to different body parts and functions, while qi is thought to circulate through these meridians. While there are many differences between Western medicine and TCM, one of the major differences lies in the way that illnesses are diagnosed. In TCM, illnesses are thought to result from imbalances in yin and yang. Some of the common TCM practices that we have learned about include the use of herbs as medicine, acupuncture, and tui na massage (a type of massage that focuses on manipulation and that is used to aid the flow of energy).
The best part about this class is the hands-on portion. Our class has had the opportunity to receive both tui na massages and acupuncture. We also got the chance to visit the hospital’s pharmacy, where you can find things like dried centipedes, porcupine skin, and silkworms used in medicinal teas.
Taking a course on traditional Chinese medicine has sparked my interest in learning more about different branches of medicine in a given culture. This is also one of the most hands-on courses that I’ve taken with Global and I hope to continue having similar learning experiences in the future.
