Origins of modern Qigong and Tai Chi

The deepest roots of Qigong (and by extension Tai Chi) trace back to ancient Chinese shamanic traditions known as 巫術 (wūshù) or 巫教 (wūjiào). These early practices were a blend of spiritual ritual, healing arts, movement, and nature-based cosmology.

The Ancient Connection: Shamanism → Daoism → Qigong → Tai Chi

1. Before there was Daoism, there were the Wu (巫) — the shamans

Over 4,000 years ago, long before “Qigong” was a word, early China had ritual specialists called 巫 (wū)—a role held by both men (巫覡) and women (巫祝). They were healers, diviners, dancers, and intermediaries between humans and the forces of nature.

They used:

• rhythmic dances

• breath practices

• trance states

• drumming and chanting

• visualization

• symbolic movements mimicking animals, wind, water, and celestial cycles

Their purpose was to restore harmony between the human body and the cosmos. Many scholars believe these movements and breathwork practices are the earliest ancestors of Qigong.

2. The earliest proto-Qigong was called “導引 (Daoyin)” — ‘guiding and stretching the qi’

By the Zhou and Han dynasties (2500–2200 years ago), shamanic movement rituals evolved into a more systematized practice known as 導引 (dǎoyǐn). It combined:

• stretches

• twisting motions

• animal-style movements

• breath regulation

• qi circulation

The purpose was still spiritual and physical:

“Guide the qi and extend the limbs to cure illness.”

—《莊子》Zhuangzi, 4th century BCE

Daoist priests later inherited and refined these practices.

3. Daoism formalized Shamanic cosmology into philosophy and gentle movement

When Daoism emerged (around 300–200 BCE), it absorbed much of the shamanic worldview:

• humans mirror nature

• qi flows through everything

• imbalance causes illness

• harmony with heaven-earth brings peace

• movement and breath can restore the spirit

Daoist adepts integrated these ideas into what we now call internal cultivation (內修):

• breath training (吐納）

• visualizations

• qi circulation

• slow, ritual-like sequences

• mind-body alignment

These became the foundation for both Qigong and later Tai Chi (Taijiquan).

4. Tai Chi (Taijiquan) emerged much later — but carries the same DNA

Tai Chi, as a martial art and meditation system, arrived around the 1600s. But its worldview is unmistakably Daoist:

• softness overcomes hardness

• yin and yang in dynamic balance

• qi flows with intention

• movement arises from stillness

Tai Chi can be viewed as the martial flowering of shamanic-Daoist internal practices.

The Iconic Example: “五禽戲 (Five Animal Frolics)”

Created by the physician-sage Hua Tuo, the Five Animals practice (tiger, deer, bear, monkey, crane) is one of the clearest bridges between shamanic animal-dance rituals and Qigong. It is directly inspired by:

• shamanic animal embodiment

• nature-spirit interaction

• therapeutic movement

Yet it is refined into a health-preserving Qigong system.

The Spiritual Consistency Across Time

If you trace the Shamanic movement (巫術) thread

• → Daoyin / early breath-movement healing

• → Daoist inner alchemy and cosmology

• → Modern Qigong

• → Tai Chi (as moving meditation + martial expression)

  
  

They all share core themes:

• the body is a microcosm of heaven and earth

• breath is the bridge between form and spirit

• intention moves qi

• movement is a form of prayer

• stillness reveals truth

Some scholars call Qigong the “civilized, systematized descendant of Chinese shamanism.”

A short poetic summary for your teaching or writing

“Before Qigong had a name, it was the dance of the shamans.

Before Tai Chi became a form, it was the breath of the mountains.

The practice we do today is the echo of ancient footsteps,

a bridge between the human heart and the living cosmos.”