The Eight Pieces of Brocade (Bāduànjǐn 八段錦) is one of the most widespread and practiced series of Qìgōng 氣功 exercises worldwide. In this article we want to provide relevant information to understand these exercises and know the fundamentals of their practice.
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Sūn Wùkōng 孫悟空 is the main character of the classic novel “Journey to the West” (西遊記 Xī Yóu Jì), one of the most important works of Chinese literature. However, this odd monkey-character is not an original invention of the author of the Xī Yóu Jì, in fact, we find several literary antecedents that were gradually shaping his image.
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Poetry has always been one of the most appreciated arts in China. In the past, its appreciation extended to all layers of society, and already in ancient times there were poetic contests (dǒu shī 鬥詩) that were practiced at festivals and banquets and adopted different forms, usually involving the consumption of wine among the participants.
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The concept of dāntián 丹田 (“elixir field”) is key to understanding qìgōng 氣功. This term remains full of mystery even in our day. In order to understand what the dāntián is, we must go back to its origins in Taoist internal alchemy (內丹術 nèidān shù).
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Habits in tea consumption have changed a lot throughout history. Currently, tea is consumed as an infusion, but this method began to be used only in the Míng 明 dynasty. Until then, the preparation of tea went through several very interesting stages, which gave rise to the expression “eating tea”.
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The Snake Form is one of the internal forms of our style, and gathers some of the most ancient Kung Fu techniques. The use of internal energy (氣 qi) and relaxation over external physical force predominates in the execution of techniques and movements, which imitate those of the animal.
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In many styles of Kung Fu, in addition to empty hand combat techniques, different kinds of weapon techniques are practiced. These weapons include a series of everyday objects that, if necessary, can be used in combat. We are talking about, among others, the fan, the bench, the cane or crutch, the hoe, the flute…
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By the time Buddhism began to spread in China, some indigenous currents had already developed their meditation practices. These currents are sometimes referred to as proto-Taoists because, on the one hand, they precede the formation of Taoism as a religion and, on the other hand, influenced their subsequent development.
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The Hook Swords or Seung Ngau 双鈎 are an exclusively Chinese weapon, unparalleled anywhere else in the world. With a very peculiar shape, it is a weapon as devastating as it is difficult to master. Its unique design makes them a versatile and very effective weapon.
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Within calligraphy and ink painting, there are four tools that are known in China as the Four Treasures of the Study (文房四寶 wén fáng sì bǎo), as they had to be present on every scholar’s desk. These four treasures are: ink (墨 mò), brush (毛笔 máobǐ), paper (纸 zhǐ) and inkstone (砚台 yàntái).
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