2012 Fall Tai Chi Class organized by the Confucius Institute (CI) at University of South Carolina (USC) came to a successful close on November 12, 2012.

The Tai Chi Class, part of the Confucius Institute Lecture Series aiming to promote Chinese culture, started on October 12, 2012 and had 10 sessions in total. Participants were mainly USC students and faculty, and they learned to practice the most popular set of 24-posture Simplified Form of Tai Chi offered by Ms. Li Yan, a volunteer from CI at USC. Bilingual instruction was adopted to meet the learners’ needs as well as practicing Chinese language. Every posture is clearly demonstrated with explicit explanation of its defensive or offensive meaning in combination with the essence of Chinese martial art. They also learned the proper way to breathe while practicing. Tai Chi tempers toughness with gentleness and graceful postures, cultivates both body and mind. Learners showed great interest and could practice the 24 postures quite well with the coach’s instructions only after 10 hours of classes.

Participants said that they definitely experienced the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of Tai Chi and hoped to learn more through CI training programs in the future.

The Tai Chi Class was not only well accepted by the learners, but also attracted a lot of passersby. The training on site allowed them to get to a basic understanding of Tai Chi and this will surely make a positive impact on the community.