Taijiquan and certain vocations: Why?

[shugdenla]

I am a long time practitioner and knowing a little about taijiquan, most of the past practitioners (pre-Qing) tended to be labourers, escort police and others of the same lumpenprotelariet (non-examination takers) but interestingly today the vast majority of taijiquan people tend to be engaged in sedentary occupations.

Why don't people like garbagemen, lawn workers, stone masons and others engage in taijiquan?

[Bob Ashmore]

Only a guess.....
Maybe because they don't sit all day long and so don't need to seek exercise outside of their work day like those of us who do.

[Louis Swaim]

Greetings,

When I first began to practice taijiquan in 1974, I had been working as a janitor, a factory worker, and a food service employee. I’ve known people with all kinds of backgrounds and from all walks of life who practice taijiquan.

My first taijiquan sifu often spoke of how many of his fellow students in Hong Kong were dock workers and laborers. They were strong individuals with no need to do exercise to get in shape. That wasn’t their motivation for training in taijiquan or other martial arts.

Take care,
Louis