TIANJIN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- On a Chinese university campus, 22-year-old Uzbek student Ibrohimkhonova Ezozaxon practices Tai Chi in the dawn light, moving slowly and steadily through the routine.
Ezozaxon won first place in Tai Chi at Uzbekistan's national youth competition. Today, she is studying at Tianjin Normal University in north China's Tianjin Municipality. For her, Tai Chi has become more than a sport.
"Tai Chi connects me with China and helps me understand Chinese culture and Chinese people," she said.
Tai Chi is a traditional physical practice characterized by relaxed, circular movements that work in concert with breath regulation and the cultivation of a righteous and neutral mind. UNESCO inscribed it on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.
In China, about 78.6 million people practice Tai Chi, including 35.1 million regular practitioners, according to an official national survey released in late 2025.
Ezozaxon's connection with the sport began when she was three. Then, her father returned from China, where he had studied Chinese and Tai Chi. She still remembers seeing her father practicing in their yard wearing a white Tai Chi suit. Later, watching films starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li with her family deepened her interest in Chinese martial arts.
In high school, Ezozaxon took up Tai Chi to improve her health. At first, she found the movements "too slow, only for the elderly," and nearly gave up. Her coach helped her see that Tai Chi was about more than slowness: it is performed by controlling breath, strength and movement in slow motion, combining softness with firmness.
The competition victory that followed changed how she saw the practice. "As I delved deeper, I found Tai Chi looks gentle but holds power. It helps me cultivate my character," she said.
Driven by her interest in Tai Chi and Chinese culture, she chose to study in China, where she found martial arts far more diverse than she had imagined.
In the early mornings in Tianjin, many older people practice Tai Chi in public squares, and she joins them. "I see a sense of ease and calm in them, and I read the Chinese way of cultivating body and mind," she said.
The philosophy embodied by Tai Chi also touched her. "No coach taught me to attack others. They always say: first protect yourself, then protect others," Ezozaxon said.
To her, Tai Chi reflects the Chinese temperament -- gentle and calm, embodying the Chinese concepts of peace, harmony and friendliness.
"It helped me understand the Chinese philosophical idea that harmony is precious," she said.
Chinese martial arts, or Wushu, is stepping onto a broader global stage. With the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching, Wushu Taolu (choreographed sequences) will make its debut as an official sport on the Olympic stage. In Tianjin, Ezozaxon has seen athletes from Senegal's national youth Wushu team training in China ahead of the event.
"Wushu originated in China but belongs to the world," said Zhao Qingjian, a coach for the youth team and an associate professor at Capital University of Physical Education and Sports. "We want to further improve their skills and performance."
Through training and competition, Ezozaxon has experienced the exchange and integration brought by Wushu's growing internationalization. She has competed in Wushu events across China against athletes from around the world.
"On the field we are rivals; off it, we become friends," Ezozaxon said. Now she rehearses Wushu routines with Chinese classmates and students from other countries and regions. Wushu has given young people worldwide a new common language.
"Tai Chi has taught me to slow down, to feel strength within softness, and to appreciate the Chinese cultural wisdom in it. I will keep practicing, strive to be an envoy of cultural exchange, and pass on this beauty of harmony rooted in China to more friends," Ezozaxon said. ■
