People in Paris are increasingly turning to the ancient Chinese practice of martial arts to take up bodybuilding and escape from the stresses of modern life.
Every morning, a group of traditional Chinese sports enthusiasts gather near the riverbank to practice Tai Chi and Qigong, which are mind-body-spirit exercises that improve mental and physical wellbeing.
They are members of the French Federation for Chinese Energetic and Martial Arts (FFAEMC). Consiglia Ciaburri, counselor of FFAEMC, said there are over 20,000 members in the federation, and they have five fixed practice areas in Paris alone.
For them, practicing traditional Chinese martial arts helps build up their bodies and has a calming element to it.
"It's an art, first of all, it's martial art. But the word 'art' is very important. It means that it’s not only sport, it's more. There is mental way to do it. So that's why it's really really great for us," said Ciaburri.
After joining the federation in 2003, Ciaburri has been promoting Chinese traditional sports since then. She has also been advocating for ancient martial arts to be listed as an Olympic event.
Over the years, members of the federation have participated in various martial arts competitions globally. Now, its youngest martial artist named Annabelle, who is only nine years old, has already stood out in several international contests.
"So in 2026, there will be the Youth Olympics in Dakar. So we are sending some of our athletes. Hope that Annabelle will go there. She could win," Ciaburri said.
Parisians find inner peace through Chinese martial arts
China and other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), pledged to enhance sustainable development cooperation at a Thursday conference in Tianjin, ahead of this year's SCO summit.
As the rotating chair for this year, China is to host the SCO summit in Tianjin this autumn. The China-SCO Conference on Industrial Cooperation for Sustainable Development is one of the activities organized during a promotion event from Wednesday to Friday. It aims to promote cooperation in fields like infrastructure, energy, mining and petrifaction.
Nearly 400 guests, including government officials and enterprises from SCO member states attended the opening session.
"In 2024, China's trade volume with SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners reached a record high of 890 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for about 14.4 percent of China's total foreign trade volume, fully demonstrating the tremendous vitality and broad prospects of trade development within the region," said Ling Ji, vice minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative, at the conference.
As China has extensive experience in promoting sustainable development, attendees from SCO member states expressed hope to strengthen cooperation with China across various sectors, said SCO Deputy Secretary General Sohail Khan.
"China plays a very, very important, significant role in sustainable development, as I said, so we are expecting that in the sustainable development context, all member states have lot to gain and learn from China on its achievements in various areas, like agricultural industries, energy, high tech, information technology, and robot AI," he said.
By the end of 2024, China's investment stocks in SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners have exceeded 140 billion U.S. dollars, with the total value of contracts signed by Chinese enterprises in these countries exceeding one trillion U.S. dollars and the completed turnover surpassing 680 billion U.S. dollars.
In 2024, about 19,000 China-Europe freight train ran through the SCO region, marking a year-on-year increase of 10.7 percent and significantly promoting regional connectivity and economic development.
China, SCO member states pledge deeper sustainable development cooperation
