To promote international students’ understanding and experience of Chinese culture, the Chinese Language Instruction Center under the Office of International and Cross-Strait Affairs at Fo Guang University has organized a five-week Tai Chi Cultural Experience Course, held on Tuesday afternoons starting from March 3.
The course is taught by Professor Wu Su-Chen from the Center for General Education at Fo Guang University, who is also a professor in the Department of Literature and Language and an instructor at Yuanmen Tai Chi Academy. Through cultural introduction, basic training, and practical movement practice, students from countries such as Paraguay and the United States are given the opportunity to personally experience the Eastern philosophy and health wisdom embodied in Tai Chi, including the concepts of “overcoming hardness with softness” and “using stillness to control motion.”
At the beginning of the course, the instructor guided students through a series of warm-up and body coordination exercises, including muscle relaxation, joint stretching, breathing regulation, and balance training. These exercises helped students enter the world of Tai Chi in a relaxed and focused state. The instructor then introduced fundamental Tai Chi theories and principles.
Students were also introduced to the Eight Fundamental Techniques of Tai Chi—peng, lu, ji, an, cai, lie, zhou, and kao—as well as the Five Basic Stances—the bow stance, horse stance, empty stance, crouching stance, and resting stance. Through repeated practice, students developed stronger lower-body stability and improved body coordination. Under the instructor’s demonstration and guidance, students gradually practiced basic movements, learning to coordinate rhythm, shift body weight, and synchronize hand and foot movements, experiencing the flowing sensation of Tai Chi where “the body moves with intention and energy flows with the body.”
Many students shared that this was their first time practicing Tai Chi, and they found the experience both new and enjoyable. The atmosphere in the class was lively, with students and the instructor exchanging movements, imitating techniques, and sharing laughter throughout the practice.
Director Hsu Sheng-Ho of the Chinese Language Instruction Center expressed that such cultural experience courses aim to help international students gain a deeper understanding of the diverse aspects of Chinese culture while learning the Chinese language. He also hopes that the Tai Chi cultural experience program will gradually develop into one of the center’s signature courses in the future.
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