On September 25th, Tai Chi for Today was hosted by Hing Fung in St Mungo Square at the University of Glasgow. This event was curated by Yidan Hu and presented by Thinking Culture and UofG Peking Opera Society as part of East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month, with support from the University of Glasgow Global Majority Network.
Yidan Hu is currently a PhD candidate in theatre studies at the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include theatre history of twentieth century drama, theatre translation, and cross-border theatre. She holds a MA in translation studies and has provided translation services for IOHA (The Institute of Human Anatomy), IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and HoGem, a high-tech enterprise in Beijing. In parallel with her academic research, she is also an active practitioner and organiser in the field of intercultural performance. As a founding member and current organiser of the UofG Peking Opera Society, she has curated exhibitions at the university’s Advanced Research Centre and directed public performances at Websters Theatre in Glasgow, aiming to foster critical dialogue between traditional Chinese operatic forms and contemporary global audiences.
How often do you truly notice today?
The morning light drifts across the windows, and before we realise it, another day has quietly slipped away. We move so quickly from one moment to the next that the present becomes almost transparent, barely seen, barely felt. Yet today is all we ever have; it carries both the weight of passing time and the promise of renewal. To pause, even for a breath, is to sense how fragile and vivid it really is.
From this awareness grew the idea of Tai Chi for Today. We wanted to respond to the restless rhythm of modern life by returning, through movement, to a slower kind of attention. In doing so, drawing on Chinese philosophy, this event seeks to create a space where participants can pause within the constant motion of the present, rediscovering balance as something felt rather than achieved, lived rather than pursued.
Practised outdoors, the activity unfolded as a quiet experiment in dissolving boundaries between art and life, between performer and passer-by, between stillness and motion. The openness of the environment became part of the composition; the light, the air, and the sound of footsteps all entered the rhythm, creating a sense of movement that extended beyond individual bodies. Within this open space, movement itself became a form of listening, a way of speaking to the world through the body as it moves.
Under the guidance of the Tai Chi instructor Hing Fung, participants slowed their breathing and allowed their attention to settle. With each movement, the body began to find its own rhythm; shoulders softened, the spine lengthened, and the breath moved quietly through. The focus shifted from effort to awareness, from trying to perfect a form to simply being present within it. As the practice deepened, the boundary between body and mind grew lighter. The sound of leaves, the warmth of sunlight, and the faint movement of air all became part of the same flow.
Through such simple acts of breathing, moving, and noticing, we find that art can help restore the link between people and their surroundings, allowing us to meet today with a clearer sense of presence and ease.
Written and visual materials by Yidan Hu and Keni Li, in collaboration between Thinking Culture, the Peking Opera Society, and the Global Majority Network.
