BEIJING — More than 1,200 Tai Chi practitioners from nine countries and 10 Chinese provinces gathered at Wuyi Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage site in eastern China, on Saturday to mark the inaugural International Taijiquan Day. The event highlighted Taijiquan’s growing global influence as both a martial art and a wellness practice.

The mass demonstration was the centerpiece of nationwide celebrations, which also took place at historic Taijiquan sites, including Wudang Mountain in Hubei Province, Wenxian in Henan Province, and Handan in Hebei Province.

UNESCO designated March 21 as International Taijiquan Day during its 43rd General Conference in Uzbekistan on November 5, 2025. Lidia Brito, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, said Taijiquan demonstrates how traditional sports and games can foster peace and serve as a bridge across generations.

“This is the first martial art to be recognized with an official international day within the United Nations system,” said Ekarat Janrathitikarn, dean of the Maritime Silk Road Confucius Institute in Thailand. “The choice of date around the Chinese solar term Chunfen reflects Tai Chi’s core philosophy: achieving dynamic balance between life and nature.”

Chunfen, or the vernal equinox, symbolizes equilibrium between light and dark, reflecting the philosophical essence of Taijiquan, which integrates body and mind harmony.

China has promoted Taijiquan as both intangible cultural heritage and a global fitness practice. Yang Zhenhe, a representative inheritor of Yang-style Taijiquan, emphasized the importance of adapting the martial art for younger generations. His daughter, Yang Lifen, has introduced a 38-move Yang-style routine into school physical education programs in Handan, the historic home of Taijiquan.

“The Yang-style Taijiquan covers boxing as well as weapons forms with the sword, spear, and cudgel. Promoting this intangible cultural heritage is about passing it on, not just performing it,” Lifen said.

Chen Bing, president of the Chenjiagou International Tai Chi Academy in Wenxian County, Henan, highlighted the martial art’s international reach, with over 30 branches in more than 20 countries. Dionysios Paraschos, a Greek practitioner, said, “Taijiquan is not just a form of exercise, but a spirit and a living style reshaping my body, mind, and soul.”

Nanping City, which administers the Wuyi Mountain area, organized 28 cultural and tourist activities to promote Taijiquan-themed training and wellness tourism, leveraging the region’s scenic landscapes and rich cultural heritage.

Since its inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020, Taijiquan has increasingly become a symbol of cultural exchange, global fitness, and traditional Chinese philosophy.