Every year, on the last Saturday of April, the holiday of a healthy lifestyle is celebrated – International Day of Taiji and Qigong. In 2022, the date of celebration falls on April 30. The event was first celebrated in 1998, but it gained official international status in 1999. The holiday was started by Bill Douglas and Angela Vaughn-Douglas.

Taijiquan is a Chinese martial art, now popular as gymnastics. The origin of tai chi dates back to the 6th century BC.

Qigong belongs to Chinese medicine, is a certain set of exercises performed for health purposes. Proponents of qigong assure that this method helps to prevent many diseases, and also works effectively in the complex treatment of even such serious diseases as cancer.

International Day of Taiji and Qigong aims to spread Chinese traditional medicine, raise awareness of the beneficial effects of tai chi and qigong on the human body, and thank Chinese culture for the invention of these practices.

On April 30, about 80 countries of the world organize public demonstrations of taijiquan and qigong and mass practices.