AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The inaugural New Zealand Taijiquan Open tournament was held here Saturday under the theme "One Breath, One World."
The two-day event was launched to mark the first International Taijiquan Day, which falls on March 21 each year. It drew nearly 400 taijiquan, or tai chi, practitioners, with participants including both Chinese and New Zealanders, as well as people young and old.
The event was hosted by the New Zealand Wushu Dragon & Lion Dance Federation and the China Cultural Center in Auckland, with support from the New Zealand National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, and others.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, UNESCO Culture Commissioner Dan Hikuroa noted that UNESCO designated March 21 as the annual International Taijiquan Day at the 43rd session of its General Conference in November 2025, "recognizing and celebrating the martial art's role in health, harmony and cultural exchanges."
"It's not only full of exercises for martial art, it's a living cultural practice that carries philosophy, ethics, history and social values," he said.
Hikuroa also referred to taijiquan's inscription on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.
"So while rooted in Chinese culture, taijiquan has become a global heritage, practice can reinterpret it worldwide," he added.
Different styles of taijiquan were demonstrated at the opening ceremony. ■
