Hebei martial art reels in younger adherents(2)

Practitioners of baguazhang move in eight directions that represent the eight principle trigrams contained in the Book of Changes. They walk in a circular direction, taking swinging steps while attempting to hook their opponents, and strike them using different hand positions.

It was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Today, practitioners of the art can be found in some 50 countries and regions, with the number of global practitioners topping 5 million, according to the county government.

In Wenan, about half the county's residents are able to perform some baguazhang movements, and the complicated, elegant moves are part of the martial art's appeal.

As a result of her interest and enthusiasm, Xing is fortunate to be able to practice at school for an hour every Tuesday, along with the other students at the Wenan County No 2 Primary School.

Teaching baguazhang in schools is one of the ways Wenan is passing on traditional Chinese martial arts to the younger generation, and as the place where the style was invented, the county has made it a compulsory course for primary and secondary schools since 2018.