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- Light-weight cotton-blend so it hangs and moves well
- Classic Mandarin collar
- 7 x traditional Chinese buttons (frogs) through the front
- Traditional cuffs with 2 x frog buttons
- Side-slits
- Loose-fit for ease of movement
- The perfect accompaniment to your day-to-day training pants
Available in black only
The peasants in China did not officially gain the right to wear silk clothing until the 1600's, but martial arts practitioners, many of them monks and nuns in Buddhist and Taoist monasteries, wore silk robes throughout all their daily activities, including kung fu and tai chi practice. Taiji philosophy predates the martial art of taijiquan by thousands of years, and it is likely that these early philosophers wore silk robes daily as well.
In modern day training, the wearing of silk has been replaced by cotton, cotton/silk blend or linen due to the prohibitive cost of pure silk. However, Tai Chi/Wushu Training Jackets still need to be strong, durable and loose fitting. The jackets should allow for free movement of the arms and waist, with no restriction in the armpits during training or practice. They also need to be flowing, like the arts themselves.
In addition, the internal arts such as Baguaquan, Taijiquan, Bajiquan and Qigong practice have the need to mobilize Qi as an important goal. Qi travels along meridians (energy channels), which are close to the surface of the skin, so clothing that sticks tightly to the skin hinders the flow of Qi, hence the need to wear loose-fitting clothing as opposed to Lycra or skins.
Typically, Chinese jackets would have an odd number of frogs through the front. Despite the luck inherent in the number "8", odd numbers are considered more auspicious when it comes to clothing.
Training clothes are at the mercy of fashion just as anything else. However, if you are wondering why some jackets are cuffed and others are not, traditionally the Cantonese/Southern practitioners prefer the open cuffs while the Northern practitioners sought out the traditional two-frog cuff closure. Boundaries have been blurred over time but if you wish to adopt the correct "traditional" clothing for your chosen style, it would be a good idea to do some research.