Although Buddhism entered China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) via the Silk Road, the arrival of the Indian Buddhist monk ‘Bodhidharma’ in China some 15 hundred years ago changed the face of Chinese culture. Similarly, Chinese people foresaw a similar impact on Yogacharya BKS Iyengar’s visit to Guang Zhou for the first China-India Yoga Summit in 2011, as they mentioned that China has a tradition of embracing foreign cultures and making them it’s own.
Yoga is a sacred discipline that concentrates on spiritual science, focusing on achieving harmony between mind, body and spirit. The word “yoga” was first mentioned in ancient sacred texts called “Rig Veda”. Yoga was refined and developed by Rishis (Hindu monks) who practised yoga during the Indus-Sarasvati civilization and documented their practices and beliefs over 5000 years ago. Yoga became a common practice among religions like Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist in the form of meditation around the 5th century. Later, it became widely valued during the Indian National Movement to promote pride and cultural identity. Now, on the proposal of the Prime Minister of India in the UN General Assembly, the world has been celebrating International Yoga Day on 21st June, since 2015.
It became popular in Hong Kong in the 20th century and by the 21st century, it gradually extended to the Chinese mainland. Yoga was first popularized in China through the television programme of Wai Lana (Zhang Huilan) in the 1980s on China Central Television (CCTV). In 2022, Americans opened China’s first Yoga studio. Recently, it has been reported that there are more than 10,800 main yoga schools across China with millions of yoga practitioners. The first official yoga data book- “Yoga Blue Book: China Yoga Industry Development Report” released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) says that the popularity of yoga is directly proportional to the economic development of the city. Wealthy cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and southern Guangdong Province have the most yoga practitioners in comparison to poorer provinces such as Qinghai, Xinjiang and Tibet. It also mentioned the concern about the quality of training given while meeting the huge demand.
Yoga has now entered the Chinese cultural world and is driving its market growth. It has acquired a place in the timetable of people’s lives. Yoga apparel, hair bands, bags, and water bottles, as well as online yoga courses, are all part of the yoga experience as it has been refined and commercialized in China. It has been reported that ‘COVID-19 has driven people from cabin fever to healthy choices’, as sales of yoga mats have increased by 141.95% year-on-year. It took hold in China in those early years, and the scale of the yoga wear market expanded to 14.1 billion RMB ($1.7 billion) in 2021 from 2.6 billion RMB ($316 million) in 2013, with a further scale-up in 2022 to 15.6 billion RMB ($1.9 billion). China’s yoga studios boast a big market chain with thousands of learners summing up their annual income nationwide, including earnings from teacher training and equipment sales. There is continuous development in technology and marketing in the name of bringing pure yoga. Most Chinese sports brands are in competition to become popular among yoga practitioners. Yoga magazines and journals are also another way of attracting yoga into practice and making it well-marketed.
Yoga is becoming increasingly important in balancing our mind and body. However, many experts have long been concerned about the commercialization of yoga, and China is no exception to making it an expensive activity around the world. Deviating from the pure form of yoga as it was taken from India, it has taken root in the booming economy of China.