Tai Chi embodies wisdom of traditional Chinese culture
豫“健”非遗：太极拳的修身养性
朱天才：
Zhu Tiancai:
世界上对太极拳都非常喜爱，在健康教育的时候，师父讲过一句话，要想练好拳，首先去练圆，你看我们的LOGO，就是圆的。
Many people in the world are very fond of Tai Chi. When I received this health education, my master said that to be good at Tai Chi, first of all, you must keep training in the basic skills of lianyuan," 练圆"-"turning and drawing circles." Look at our Logo. It is also round.
我是朱天才，一辈子一件事，一太极一传承。
I am Zhu Tiancai. Inheriting Tai Chi is my lifelong career. (Zhu Tiancai is one of the 3 remaining elder inheritors of Chen Tai Ji Quan, the initial and oldest form of Taiji)
张绍均：
Zhang Shaojun:
太极拳，作为优秀的人类非物质文化遗产，它是我们中国优秀传统文化和武术的一个结晶。拳大家都知道，攻防进退。太极拳天然含有文化的基因，就是它体现了我们中国人传统的世界观和哲学观，天人合一，阴阳平衡，阴阳和谐，万物运化的这样一种观念。所以太极拳有一句话叫什么呢？祥推用意终何在，延年益寿不老春。从这句话来说，它的一个终极的目标，就是希望人民更健康、更长寿、更年轻。据不完全统计，目前世界上有超过3亿的人在训练太极拳。
Tai Chi, an outstanding Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (recognized by UNESCO), is the representative of a combination of our excellent traditional Chinese culture and Chinese martial arts. As we all know, boxing contains attack, defense, advancement, and retreat. Tai Chi naturally contains the genes of culture, and it embodies the traditional Chinese world outlook and philosophy - the unity of nature and man, the balance and harmony of Yin and Yang, and the rule that everything changes, etc. There is a saying concerning the practice essentials and functions of Tai Chi: 祥推用意终何在，延年益寿不老春, literally refers to prolong practitioners' lives as vibrant as the life of spring. That means one ultimate goal of Tai Chi is to strengthen the body and spirit, build to healthier and more vigorous, and tune up for longevity. According to estimations, more than 300 million people worldwide practice Tai Chi.
太极拳的发源地温县有一句土话——下至哼哼，上至 “nengneng”，男女老少，都能扑腾。就是上至年龄大的，像耄耋老人，下呢，就刚刚会走的孩童，男女老少都会，一个人可以耍，俩人可以练，一群人可以共同来玩。
In Chenjiagou, Wen County, Jiaozuo City, the birthplace of Tai Chi, a local colloquial expression known as 下至哼哼，上至"nengneng",男女老少，都能扑腾. This means that men, women, and children of all ages are quite capable of practicing a form of Tai Chi. It's a very popular and favorite local daily exercise. (It can be practiced solo by a single person, it could be done with a group of people, or sometimes two people may pair up to train theirskills)
Sometimes, acting according to circumstance, two people may make a pair exercise; it can also be practiced by a single person or could be done with a group as well.
以静制动，四两拨千斤，以柔克刚。太极拳论上有说，力大打力小，手快打手慢，是皆先天之力。动物界你会发现力大的打力小的，跑得快的打跑得慢的，这是种自然的现象。那么到太极拳，出现了一个武术的升华，它会四两拨千斤，以弱胜强，以柔克刚，外化于物，内化于心。
Tai Chi emphasizes coping with all attacking motions by keeping inner stillness like four ounces counterbalance a thousand pounds (famous Taiji saying), defusing hardness with softness.
In the animal kingdom, it is found naturally that the strong attacks the weak, and the fast attacks the slow. Similarly, embracing the essence of nature, the theory of Tai Chi understands the strong to beat the weak and the fast to beat the slow. But on the contrary, Tai Chi has been highly developed with the sublimation of martial arts into the unity and harmony between inner thought and outer actions, to such a high degree of conquering strength with weakness, overcoming hardness with softness, being externalized in each Tai Chi moves and internalized in its solid conviction and overall strategies.
导气以令和，引体以令柔。肢体要柔和，气血要通畅，它叫骨正筋柔，气血滞流。那么它怎么来实现？其实它在操作方面，就是通过腹式的呼吸，让我们能够提高摄氧量。第二呢，我们的心脏，不要有更多的挤压，这样的话，起到心肺同练。
Regulating respiration and guiding Qi to fascial stretch, blood flow smoothly, strengthening bones and pliable tendons enhance body flexibility. Tai Chi strives purposely to train the breath and limbs to be smooth and soft, and all aspects help to deal with things more flexibly, with less opposition and friction.
How do we achieve such health effects? First, increase oxygen uptake through abdominal breathing.
随着我们生产生活方式的改变，大家发现颈椎病、腰椎病特别多，那么太极拳它强调什么，他强调虚领顶劲，下颚微微回收，加上太极拳画圆的时候，背阔肌有规律地一开一合、一领一落，对缓解颈肩腰腿不适，包括一些背上发沉，有很好的保健效果。
Secondly, increased cardiopulmonary training since lifestyle changes have led to heart problems, too much mental stress in life, and increased cervical and lumbar spondylosis.
Tai Chi relieves all these unpleasant symptoms through mental and physical training. The lower jaw slightly retracts to the cervical spine, conductive Qi sinks to the pubic region, emphasizes standing exercise, turning and drawing circles, strength leads upward, and Qi conserves without leaking. Practice lats extending and adducting regularly, rotating the arms medially, and drawing the shoulders downward and backward.
太极拳，它有好多的独立步，比如说四六分，二七分。像金鸡独立，一个腿支撑全身，长期这样练习，就能够起到，一就是增强核心肌群，这核心肌群增强以后，肌肉在静态下耗氧量是比较大的，可以消耗糖代谢；另外一个就是它增强平衡性。
Tai Chi also has different types of standing footwork, each with different proportional distribution of the center of gravity such as four-six or three-seven. A freestanding gait with one foot on the ground and knees slightly bent, for example, a posture named Golden Rooster Standing on One Leg, as the name suggests, to stand on one leg to support the body balance. This way, after long-term practice, it will strengthen the core muscles, increasing oxygen consumption and sugar metabolism in static situations and enhancing body balance.
我们讲太极拳是一种文化拳，它除了有强身健体，一般武术运动的基本功能之外，还有一个很重要的功能，促进心理平衡，心要静体要动。总之一句话，太极拳被称为近乎完美的运动不是没有道理的。
Therefore, we speak of Tai Chi as a culture of boxing. In addition to physical fitness and the primary function of general martial arts, it will promote health and psychological balance, keeping your mind calm and your body moving. In a word, Tai Chi, to the Chinese, is known as anear-perfect sport.
朱天才：在陈家沟练拳，师父告诉我们八个字：猛打猛摔，猛起猛落。太极是道拳是术。什么是太极拳呢，它是一样有阴阳哲理的、攻防技术的、内外双修的、修身养性的一种运动。
Zhu Tiancai: When practicing Tai Chi in Chenjiagou Village, the home of Chen-style Tai Chi, our master told us to hit hard, fall hard, ascend, and descend hard. Tai Chi is Dao, and boxing is an art. What is Tai Chi? It is an exercise containing the philosophy of Yin and Yang, a technique of offensiveness and defensiveness, a self-cultivation between internal spiritual and external physical harmony balance.
张绍均：太极拳的传承源远流长，一动一静之间，彰显了人和拳之间的独特气韵，下期我们继续走进非遗，探寻健康的秘密。
Zhang Shaojun: Tai Chi has a long tradition. Each static or swift movement embodies the unique spirit charm between man and boxing. Next time, we will continue to explore the intangible cultural heritage and discover the secret natures of health.（编译/童林 李云娇 英文审校/何阳）