Students
practise Taijiquan at a traditional martial art school in Chenjiagou
Village, Wenxian County, Jiaozuo City of central China's Henan Province,
Dec. 14, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) inscribed on Thursday China's Taijiquan on the Representative
List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.The
decision was announced during the online meeting of the UNESCO
Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage held from December 14 to 19 in Kingston, capital of
Jamaica. Taijiquan, a kind of
traditional martial arts, was born in the mid-17th century in a small
village named Chenjiagou located in Central China's Henan province,
before it spread to more than 150 countries and regions, attracting more
than 100 million people to practise. The village Chenjiagou has dozens of Taijiquan schools and more than 800 current masters, drawing learners all over the world. "Taijiquan
is not just a sport to make people fit, but also contains Chinese
culture and philosophy," said Yan Shuangjun, a researcher of Taijiquan.
"The application started in 2008, and now we made a victory, which will
help this sport to reach more places." "Taijiquan
is one of the most important wushu events promoted by the International
Wushu Federation. Its inclusion is of great significance to the
promotion of wushu, and especially taijiquan, globally," said Zhang
Qiuping, Secretary-General of the International Wushu Federation. Since
2014, the World Taijiquan Championships have been held every two years
by the International Wushu Federation. It provides a platform for
communication and learning between the taijiquan elites and taijiquan
lovers around the globe. In January 2020, taijiquan became an official
event in the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games.
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