About this site
This site teaches the seated form of Baduanjin and the Twelve-Section Brocade to people who cannot stand for a full round. Every movement page gives a chair version. The standing instructions follow the standard published routine, and the seated adaptations are written and reviewed individually.
- Authorship
- Written and reviewed by LiHe (理和)
- Standing form source
- The standard routine published by China's General Administration of Sport
- Seated form source
- The official Twelve-Section Brocade, plus adaptations written for this site
- Commercial model
- A free printable guide, and a paid programme
- Medical claims
- None
Who writes this site
- Role
- Research, teaching and consultation in qigong and traditional health practice; programme design; beginner instruction; and supervised practice sessions.
- Practice focus
- The Daoist health-preservation tradition; long-term practice of Baduanjin and Health Qigong; teaching seated Baduanjin and the Twelve-Section Brocade; a daily practice log.
- Research interest
- The textual history of Ming-dynasty health-preservation literature — in particular Zunsheng Bajian (遵生八笺) and Neigong Tushuo (内功图说).
- Content standard
- Educational health guidance. We describe how a movement is performed and what the surviving historical sources say. We do not promise outcomes.
- Medical scope
- We are not a healthcare provider. Diagnosis and treatment belong to licensed clinicians. Effects differ from person to person and depend on how much you practise, and we do not promise that you will see the same results as anyone else.
Why this site exists
Many English-language guides present Baduanjin standing. Some readers may prefer a chair because of age, pain, fatigue, recovery, or a simple preference for sitting. This site makes the seated options clear, without assuming they are appropriate for every person.
Seated routines and historical texts exist alongside standing Baduanjin traditions. The Twelve-Section Brocade is a promoted seated routine. This site distinguishes its source-based descriptions from its own chair adaptations.
One distinction is worth making explicit, because it is easy to blur. The Twelve-Section Brocade comes from that seated tradition. The chair versions of the eight standing movements on this site do not — they are adaptations written here, taking the arm patterns of the standard standing routine and removing the stance and the balance demand. Both are legitimate, but they are not the same kind of thing, and the table below shows which is which.
Where the movement data comes from
| Content | Source | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 8 standing Baduanjin movements | The standard routine published by the General Administration of Sport of China | Follows the published routine — the review status is shown on each movement page | |
| Seated adaptations of the 8 | Written for this site | This site's own adaptation | not a traditional seated routine |
| The 12 movements of the Twelve-Section Brocade | The official routine — Beijing Sport University research team, 2010 | Follows the official routine — the review status is shown on each movement page | |
| Chair version of the 12 | Written for this site | This site's own adaptation | |
| The Ming-dynasty eight figures (wen baduanjin) | Gao Lian, Zunsheng Bajian (Ming dynasty) | Cited as a historical source |
How pages are reviewed
Every movement page carries a review status and a last-reviewed date. Where a movement is still awaiting final review, the page says so at the bottom rather than hiding it. The procedures are set out on the editorial policy page.
What this site does not do
- It does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition
- It does not claim outcomes from the research it cites
- It does not sell supplements, courses or affiliate products
- It does not publish movements against a specific disease without a clear warning and without a purchase option
How you can help
If a movement description does not match how you were taught it, or if you spot an error in the history or the terminology, please say so. Corrections from practitioners are the most useful input this site gets, and they are reflected in the review status of the page.
Common questions
Who runs this site?
It is written and reviewed by LiHe (理和). The role, practice background, research interests and the boundaries this site works within are set out in the profile at the top of this page.
Do you promise any results?
No. The content is educational health guidance: it describes how a movement is performed and what the surviving sources say about it. Effects differ from person to person and depend on how much you practise, and this site does not promise that you will see the same results as anyone else.
Is this site affiliated with any official body?
No. It follows the standard published routines and cites the official sources, but it is an independent site and is not affiliated with the General Administration of Sport of China or the Chinese Health Qigong Association.
How do you make money?
Through a paid programme and the free printable guide. There are no ads, no affiliate links and no sponsored content, so nothing on the site is recommended because someone paid for it.
Can I reuse the content?
You may print and share the free printable guide for personal, family, class or care-home use. Please do not republish the written content as your own. Ask if you want to use it for something else.
Written by LiHe — practitioner, teacher and consultant in qigong and traditional health practice. Review status and sources are shown below where available.
This is general movement education, not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition. Read the full disclaimer.
The Chinese names are the traditional names of the movements. They are not medical claims, and this site does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition.
- Last reviewed
- Movement data
- Standing form follows the Chinese Fitness Qigong Association standard routine. The chair versions are this pack's own adaptation, written for a seated reader.. Version v0.5.