Feature: Chinese health Qigong, Taiji attract more fans in Scotland

For 65-year-old John Cowwelly, a Scot who came from highland in northern Scotland, Chinese health Qigong gives him fitness and meditation after over 20 years of practising martial arts and Taiji.

"I first practised martial arts, then Taiji and now Qigong when I am getting older. Qigong has soft internal and is safer," Cowwelly told Xinhua here during the interval of a training class of Chinese health Qigong on Tuesday evening.

Like Cowwelly, around 30 practicers attended the training class to follow the expertise of Ma Jian, master tutor from College of Physical Education of China's Hebei Normal University, Gao Yanying from Beijing and Yue Liming from Britain's Taiji Center in Manchester.

"For thousands of years, Qigong has been immensely popular with people, especially those in middle of elderly ages, playing an active role in helping them dispel diseases, promote health and prolong their lives," said Ma.

After the American experts found that Taiji and Qigong can promote people's health with specific statistic proof, more and more foreigners are joining the army of Taiji and Qigong practicers, according to Ma.

"Through Qigong, people can also experience the action and internal quietness, and the difference with the expanding power of western style fitness, thus the inclusiveness of the Chinese traditional culture." he added.

"Scientific studies show that Taiji and Qigong can enhance the functions of the respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and promote people's health. That's why more and more foreigners are interested in learning the sports skill,"said Yue.

Some foreigners are highly enthusiastic in attending the training classes, and even drove more than two hours to join, said Gao.

"Qigong is much easier for beginners to learn with simpler actions, has more visible benefits, and there is no restrictions of practice spaces," he added.

Shen Sanbing, an academic living in Edinburgh for more than 20 years, told Xinhua that he practised Taiji at first to reduce his shoulder ache and achieved tangible results.

"In modern daily life, more and more people are experiencing depression and anxiety due to high working pressure, Taiji can make people relaxed, keep stronger body and stronger mind. " he noted.

The visiting masters and the practicers are expected to make public demonstrations of the sport skill at city center of Edinburgh on Wednesday.

World Taiji and Qigong Day is an annual event held the last Saturday of April each year to promote the related disciplines in nearly 80 countries since 1999. Endit