In parks and streets across Taiwan, people come

out at dawn to practice Taiji (Tai Chi), martial arts, aerobics, ball room dance and other athletics, both young and old alike.

    Chinese martial arts are collectively known as guoshu, or national arts, not Kung Fu (Gong Fu) which literally means, "time and energy spent on cultivating an art or skill." A good cook can have good 'kung fu.'

Martial Arts

Kung Fu - native to China (actually means 'work', 'wushu' is the term for what we call Kung Fu in the West, Bruce Lee-style)

Aikido - Japan

Jiu-Jitsu - Brazil

Judo - Japan

Karate - Japan

Taekwondo - Korea

Tai Chi Chuan - ('Tai Chi' for short)

Tai Chi is an exercise that contains the basics for all martial arts movements and it closely resembles slow-motion sparring and is particularly effective as a breathing control exercise.

Usually performed at the crack of dawn by the elderly and women among others because of the 'qi' or vital energy that allegedly is in abundance at this early hour.