Making it cool

Today, Li teaches at Handan University's School of Tai Chi Culture, the first institution in China to offer bachelor's degrees in tai chi culture. She's also a sixth-generation inheritor of Wu-style tai chi. But her students are Gen Z, raised on street dance and video games. She had to creatively figure out how to make the "slow" art of tai chi appeal to them.

Li breaks tai chi into fun, playful combinations and uses storytelling to keep young students engaged. She also stresses push-hands training, where they experience the principle of "using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds" by borrowing an opponent's force rather than meeting it head-on.

"At first, I thought tai chi was too slow, not cool at all," said Cheng Zijie, a 23-year-old student majoring in martial arts and traditional sports. "And I thought it was for old people."

That changed when Cheng was struggling with exam stress.

"One day I was completely anxious, couldn't calm down in class. Li noticed and practiced 'cloud hands' with me — a slow, flowing tai chi move," Cheng said. "She told me that my mind was full of exams and my body was tense. She asked me to try slowing down each movement, feel my feet on the ground, feel the air against my hands."

Following Li's guidance, Cheng experienced what psychologists call "flow" — a state of complete immersion where nothing else matters. "After that class, the heavy weight in my heart felt lighter. That's when I really started to understand tai chi," she said.

Now Cheng practices daily in the dormitory courtyard and even teaches simple moves to curious roommates. "We do 'cloud hands' together," she said, adding that it has become their way to decompress.

Chen Kaiyang, a 29-year-old graduate now teaching high school physical education, remembers being impressed by Li's classes.

"She showed us how to generate power and the meaning behind each move, letting us see firsthand the coolness of tai chi as a perfect blend of hardness and softness,"Chen said.

Inspired by Li, Chen started a tai chi team at the school where he works and has led students to win honors in district and city-level competitions, passing on tai chi culture to more young people.

Millions of followers

In 2018, as short-video platforms were just taking off, Li began filming herself practicing tai chi.

She didn't expect much. But one video of her performing tai chi received over 800,000 likes. Another surpassed a million likes, with 20 million views. Overnight, her follower count jumped from a few hundred to 200,000. "I never imagined tai chi videos could become this popular," Li said. "It showed me the potential of short videos for promoting tai chi."

Today, she has over 2.1 million followers across different platforms. She films herself practicing everywhere — at the Guangfu ancient town in Yongnian district, on the summit of Taishan Mountain in Shandong province, on the beach in Sanya, Hainan province, and even on the streets of New Zealand.

As her popularity grew, many companies approached her with offers to collaborate on livestreaming sales, a common path for influencers. "But I'm a university teacher. That's my primary job. Short videos are just a platform for me to promote tai chi culture," Li said.

Xu Weilong, dean of the School of Tai Chi Culture, praised Li's approach.

"What moved me most was during her Spring Festival Gala rehearsals,"Xu said, noting that a director suggested simplifying her movements.

"But Li insisted on incorporating that Xie Fei Shi pose. She said that even if with only one shot, she wanted to include tai chi elements. That stubbornness was her guarding the cultural roots, staying clear-minded even under bright lights."