Cultivating Health and Longevity

People cultivate health to prolong life and stay healthy as they age. Starting in the Song dynasty, the shaping and promotion of the traditional Chinese approach to health cultivation increasingly involved the literati, and by the late Ming dynasty the cultivation of health was being treated as a commodity that could be commercialized, thus taking on a material dimension. The dizzying array of health tips captivated the minds of people in ancient China, and many of these methods are still widely practiced today, and examples include the Taijiquan and Qigong that derived from the fitness exercises of the Wuqinxi (Five Animal Dances) and the Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade). In addition, food therapy and medicinal cuisine still claim many adherents and have evolved over time. This section shows how in times past knowledge and techniques for the cultivation of health in daily life were disseminated through texts such as Yinshan Zhengyao (Proper and Essential Things for Beverages and Food), Zunsheng Bajian (Eight Treatises on the Preservation of Life), and Shuoqin Yanglao Xinshu (A New Book on Supporting Aged Parents).