Call for tai chi to gain UN status

BEIJING - China should apply for intangible world heritage protection for tai chi to popularize the traditional martial art, a political adviser in Central China has said.

Villagers perform tai chi in a show staged in Dongyang, Zhejiang province on Oct 24, 2010. [Photo/China Daily]

Tai chi deserves the same popularity as China's Shaolin kungfu because it is another representation of unique Chinese culture, Lu Xiaopin, member of the Henan provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told China News Service on Wednesday.

The application is an "urgent" matter for China, the birthplace of tai chi, as there have been reports that the Republic of Korea also intended to apply for UNESCO recognition of the martial art, Lu said.

There are an estimated 300 million practitioners of the traditional martial art around the world. Wu Zuolai, a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, told China Daily that shadow boxing has gained increasing popularity due to China's rising soft power on the world stage.

Lei Luming, general manager of Wujitang, a Beijing-based shop retailing clothes for tai chi, said his shop has received more and more orders from foreign individuals and clubs in countries such as Canada and Germany.

"Now overseas orders account for 10 percent of our sales and they are increasing year on year," Lei said.

Wu also agreed that the honor of intangible world heritage will bring more financial support for the martial art's development.

"Tai chi is always practiced in a simplified version nowadays," Wu said, adding that the UNESCO protection will help promote research into tai chi and encourage further development and innovation.

Peking Opera and acupuncture were placed on UNESCO's Intangible World Heritage List during a five-day meeting in Nairobi in November 2010.

Applying for world heritage status increases people's awareness of, and enthusiasm for, their culture, said Ma Wenhui, a department director of the Ministry of Culture.