China's Tai Chi kongfu catches on fast in Mauritius

By Wang Chuhan (CNTV)

09:37, July 17, 2012

Tai Chi, a hallmark of traditional Chinese culture, is catching on fast in the island country of Mauritius, off the southeast coast of Africa.

Tai Chi, a hallmark of traditional Chinese culture, is catching on fast in the island country of Mauritius, off the southeast coast of Africa. More and more locals are learning how to practice the age old sport.

There are currently 20 Tai Chi Associations in Mauritius, with about 4,000 members. Every month there are Tai Chi performances at schools, plazas and beaches, attracting hoards of people eager to watch. Everyone who has an interest in the sport wants to learn from a Chinese teacher, to master the authentic movements of Tai Chi.

The Chinese culture center in Mauritius is the first overseas culture center established by China. Since its founding in 1988, the center has brought in Chinese teachers, to teach Tai Chi kungfu. One such instructor is Zhang Jianyong. He graduated from Beijing Sports University majoring in Tai Chi. Having been in Mauritius for over 3 years, he has trained more than 2,000 students. Many of them have begun taking in students.

Zhang Jianyong, Tai Chi teacher, said, "I ran some training classes to nurture teachers. I've also been to different places of Mauritius to teach free lessons. Each student has got their own student. So, this way, more and more people would practice the sport."

On the center's grounds, there have been 10,000 people who have received Tai Chi training since the center was founded. So this thousand year old Chinese sport has found a new home in a country tens of thousands of miles away.

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（Editor：杜明明、叶欣）

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