A lady practising Kung fu (wushu – 武术) in the early morning at the University of Yunnan campus, in downtown Kunming. This is a common sight in every Chinese city. In the morning, parks, university campuses and public squares teem with early birds who go outside to do some exercise. In contrast with Western cities, very few of them jog. Most of them can be seen practising tai chi (taiji – 太极), qigong (气功), fitness dancing, or playing rackets. At any rate, this activity reflects their consciousness of a healthy lifestyle, and particularly the need to balance the energies within oneself, yin and yang, which is the basis of the I Ching or Book of Changes (yijing – 易经), and serves as a guideline for traditional Chinese medicine.
