Traditional sports with distinct Chinese characteristics are
also very popular, including martial arts, taijiquan or shadow
boxing, qigong (a system of deep breathing exercises), Chinese
chess and weiqi encirclement chess.
Taijiquan is a kind of Chinese boxing, combining control of breath,
mind and body. It emphasizes body movement following mind
movements, tempering toughness with gentleness and graceful
carriage.? Qigong is a unique Chinese way of keeping fit. It
aims at enhancing health, prolonging life, curing illness and
improving physiological functions by concentrating the mind and
regulating the breath. There are various entertaining and
competitive sports activities in the minority-inhabited areas, for
example, wrestling and horsemanship among Mongols, Uygurs and
Kazaks; Tibetan yak racing; ethnic Korean "seesaw jumping";
crossbow archery among the Miao, and dragon-boat racing among the
ethnic Dai ethnic minority.
