By Rachel Berry

The Confucius Institute held its fifth bi-annual duanwei test on Tuesday, May 7. A duanwei test is a certification test for Chinese martial arts to determine if participants can proceed to the next level.

Students taking Kinesiology 120T, Beginning Tai Chi, gathered in Phillips Hall for the exam, which tested what they have been learning all semester.

To warm up, students stood in lines and performed a tai chi routine. Then they were called up in pairs to perform.

Each pair did two short routines. The first one required students to be in-sync with their partner. The second showed more interaction, as students’ movements were based off their partner.

Performances were judged by Wenxiang Bai, Sen Gao, and Chen Zhang. Bai teaches tai chi and is ranked at level eight himself, which is a very high level and is extremely difficult to reach. Gao is a world champion at Chinese martial arts, winning two gold medals at the international competition in 2017. Zhang is the instructor of Miami’s course and an international visiting scholar from East China Normal University.

After all of the students performed, the judges deliberated and determined everyone passed. Students’ named were called, and they went to the front to receive a certificate from the Chinese Martial Arts Association signifying they have reached the first level of tai chi.

After all the students were given their certificates, Bai and Gao performed their own expert routines. Students were amazed at their skills and the agility with which they performed.

The tai chi course is offered every semester for 2 credit hours and is open to all Miami students.