| This researcher examines an ancient tradition from China known as qigong, and the intermixing of this tradition with contemporary modernizing forces. The principal period is from the early 1980s to the present. During the 1980s, China saw an explosion of popular interest in qigong. Also, it was in the 1980s that qigong made its fullest global disclosure by way of international conferences held in China, Japan, Canada, and the United States. The purpose of this investigator is to explore what qigong is and its interrelationship with aspects of modernization.; This essay is divided into three parts. The first part consists of three chapters. Chapter one addresses the question, what are qi and qigong? Chapter two explores the beliefs of modern practitioners regarding the development of qigong in China. In addition to beliefs, qigong also includes various practices that are linked to phenomenal claims; therefore chapter three will explore how qigong is supposed to work.; The second part of this investigation is also comprised of three chapters (chapters four, five, and six). Chapter four takes account of qigong's early interactions with modernizing forces by examining the Boxer Uprising (1898-1900), which was an organized opposition against foreigners and Christians in China. The Boxer Uprising is significant because not only was qigong the primary practice of the Boxers, but also because the claims of qigong's abilities were used as a means of recruiting new Boxers. This shows how qigong movements have historically been powerful and threatening to the status quo. Chapters five and six explore the process of modernization in China, prefatory to analysis of qigong's interaction with modern politics (chapter five) and modern science (chapter six).; Part three of this essay includes the author's reaction to the above investigation, along with an educational component that outlines methods of teaching the findings of this investigation to high school or undergraduate level classes. A syllabus for such a course is included. |
