Why tai chi and qigong are great for health and where to learn in English in Hong Kong

While English-language yoga studios thrived on every corner, finding the Chinese “internal” arts in English was nearly impossible.

I eventually discovered a teacher in a faded Sai Ying Pun walk-up who spoke limited English. During our first session, he mockingly waved his arms in feeble circles, mimicking the practitioners I’d seen in Central’s Botanical Gardens. “This thing you see people doing in the parks?” he said scathingly. “This is not tai chi!”

Today, while a handful of English-speaking instructors have emerged, the tradition remains largely inaccessible to expats and younger Chinese alike. Yoga still reigns supreme in Hong Kong, despite science finally validating the profound benefits of the ancient Chinese breath-movement traditions.

A rapidly ageing city