Category: Tai Chi Parks

More and more cities across North America are gradually adding outdoor public spaces dedicated for practicing Tai Chi.

On Saturday, March 19th, the City of San Francisco opened its first outdoor space specifically designed for practicing tai chi with an opening celebration from the community at McLaren Park. The space was designed to be accessible for all residents, and can be found on the east side of the park’s Jerry Garcia Amphitheater and north of the tennis courts.

You can find the Mansell Tai Chi Court situated close to John F. Shelley Drive and Mansell Street. The court is designed to look like a plaza including low berms that offer protection on windy days. With sweeping vistas of San Francisco’s downtown and the bay, this is a great place to practice Tai Chi, other exercises, or just enjoy some peace and quiet.

Before the Tai Chi court was developed, the space was an old parking lot no longer in use. The $1.16 million development at the park offers new landscaping, seating, and trees that were paid for through the “2012 Clean and Safe Neighbourhood Parks Bond”. There is also a new path to the court from accessible parking for vehicles just off of John F. Shelley Drive that offers a safe environment for all visitors to enjoy the beautiful green space in their neighbourhood.

Though this 4,500 sq. ft. Tai Chi court was designed specifically for the practice of tai chi, it will also be open to anyone who wants to stop and enjoy the view. The space is both an oasis for the dedicated practitioners that are there regularly and a chance for those who want to take a break from their park-going activities and appreciate the serenity of the environment.

An asphalt footpath was realigned just south of the Tai Chi court in order to offer the practitioners an uninterrupted view out over the city and the bay, as well as to be uninterrupted by the people walking, bikers, and those walking their dogs.

For a long time, tennis players and practitioners of Tai Chi have shared space at the tennis courts in the park. The increasing popularity of both tai chi and playing tennis had prompted to identify a specific area for Tai Chi practice as a one of the main priorities for the McLaren Park Vision Plan.

Throughout the planning process with the community for the park, it was found that while Tai Chi is a popular activity in this area, there was not adequate place to do so.

On most Saturday mornings, there are regularly 50-100 enthusiastic people practicing Tai Chi at the Mansell tennis courts. Other areas in the park that are popular for Tai Chi are several of the playgrounds located in McLaren Park.

If you live in San Francisco or plan on visiting the city, make sure you visit the Mansell Tai Chi Court In McLaren Park.

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Arthur Storey Park in Houston, Texas, has a special place for practitioners of Tai Chi to go to practice.  The Arthur Storey Park Tai Chi Court is located in a beautiful setting, with amenities such as picnic pavilions and bird watching activities.

The serene and beautiful setting of the park has been used for years by people to practice Tai Chi, and in January 2005, the local parks board gave the go ahead to build this dedicated space for Tai Chi practice.

The platform is a round, 50-foot wide, elevated concrete slab that can easily accommodate 20 or more people practicing Tai Chi at a time. It features a black and white Yin Yang symbol in a red circle, and has eight granite blocks set around the outside edge which represent the eight major points of the compass.

Please check out our other articles on designated Tai Chi parks!

On the northern shores of Lake Superior lies Thunder Bay, Canada. An unlikely place to have an International Tai Chi Park. However, such a place was built and completed in 2011 with a Moon Gate looking out over Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant. Beside the Moon Gate lies a patterned stone pad 60 feet in diameter designed for groups to practice Tai Chi Chuan.

The city of Thunder Bay has had a long history of being active with Tai Chi Chuan, and is
internationally known as “The Taiji City”. In 1990 Tai Chi master Peng Youlian came to Canada and soon started teaching Tai Chi. He built up a following of students and even brought them regularly to China to train in Tai Chi Chuan, as well as bringing Tai Chi teachers from China to visit Thunder Bay.

A meeting of Tai Chi masters came to Thunder Bay in July of 2006. There were 7 masters of Tai Chi Chuan who came from China for the The International Forum on Taijiquan, which was hosted by Peng Youlian. They represented the different family styles of Tai Chi Chuan. Master Wu Wenhan, Master Yang Zhenduo, Master Chen Zhenglei, Master Sun Yongtian, Master Zeng Nailiang, Master Ma Hailong and Master Eddie Wu Kwong Yu travelled to Canada to demonstrate and give lectures on their different style of Tai Chi Chaun for the event.

Master Peng Youlian came up with the concept of the International Tai Chi Park, and working together with the Form Architecture Engineering  firm, the project came to realization.  Peng Youlian regularly hosts training and events such as the World Tai Chi Day at the park.  Visit the website of master Peng Youlian to find out more about Tai Chi and the International Tai Chi Park in Thunder Bay, Canada.

Please check out our other articles on designated Tai Chi parks!