There is a new rule for students. They need to run 1,500 meters every day. How do they like the new rule? Are you ready to run?

Wang Tao: I’m 12 years old. I’m from Beijing. As Grade 8 students, we usually run 50 meters, 200 meters or 400 meters in P. E. class, but never 1,500 meters. But I am OK with it. I can run 1,000 meters in 3 minutes.

Liu Lei: I’m 13 years old. I’m from Dalian. Many students worry (担心) about the new rule. We only run 400 meters in P. E. class. Some students say that they may feel tired (疲倦的) and sleepy in class after running. But I think the new rule is a good idea. It can help us to keep in good health. Running can also make us feel good and restful.

Zhao Ming: I’m 14 years old. I’m from Qingdao. Students in our school run 600 meters in Grade 7 and 800 meters in Grade 8 in P. E. class. In winter, we run about four laps (圈) every day. That is close (接近) to 1,500 meters. I think it’s good for us. But my friend Li Hua doesn’t think so. He doesn’t like running.

If you walk through a park in the morning or in the evening, you might see a lot of people doing these slow and beautiful movements—Carry the tiger over the mountain and White crane spreads its wings. In fact, they are doing Taichi.

“Taichi is an ancient martial art（武术）. It is a common kind of exercise in China. More than 100 million people in over 150 countries practice Taichi at present. Recently UNESCO（联合国教科文组织）has added Taichi to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List（非物质文化遗产名录）. Many Taichi fans were happy to hear of it. “This will make Taichi more popular around the world. Hopefully, more people will become healthier by practicing it.” said Chen Bin. He is a Taichi master from the village of Chenjiagou, Henan Province. This village is the birthplace of Chen-style Taichi.

It’s true that doing Taichi is good for our health. It can make us walk and move more freely, and it can also make us stronger. During slow movements, we can focus on our hands and feet. We can control them better. Slow movements also help us to take deep and long breaths.

Taichi also focuses on the harmony（和谐）between yin and yang. It shows how the ancient Chinese people saw the world. The world is full of yin and yang: dark and light, soft and hard（对立）each other completely. As we see in the picture, a white spot is in the black area and a black spot is in the white area. After a dark night, the sun will rise. Leaves fall in autumn but grow again in spring. Everything keeps changing—that is how the world works.

Taichi carries old Chinese philosophy（哲学）, such as being in harmony with nature and using softness to beat hardness. It has become a symbol of Chinese culture.