A stage show of Tai Chi, a quintessential artform of China, comes to Dalian on Thursday. [Photo/CNTV]

Tai Chi is a quintessential artform of China, offering its practitioners philosophical grounding as well as health benefits. Now it is also part of a stage show coming to Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning province.

It is a one-hour show with more than 40 performers, an elaborate stage-set, and special sound and lighting effects. But it is also a distillation of traditional martial arts, combined with modern technology, that took three years to complete.

Taichi is a soft style of traditional Chinese martial arts, or Kung Fu. It is based on slow body movements, and aims to bring mental calmness and clarity by focusing the mind solely on the subtle movements of the form. Practiced for both training and health benefits, its practice remains widespread among the Chinese people today.

The show has been touring around the country and internationally to promote public awareness of Chinese martial arts and to maintain traditional culture.