Hua Tuo’s ‘Five Animal Play’ Training

Hua Tuo, born in Bozhou (Anhui province, China), was a famous physician during the Eastern Han dynasty. He was revered as a divine healer. To help ordinary people who couldn’t afford medical care, he created a unique set of exercises for disease prevention and strengthening the body — the ‘Five Animal Play’. This is the first health preservation system in China, over 1800 years old.

This system mimics the movements and behavior of five animals: the tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and bird. Combined with breathing techniques, these exercises help improve health, prevent diseases, and enhance overall well-being. Today, the ‘Five Animal Play’ is popular worldwide and attracts great attention.

To honor Hua Tuo, people raised funds to build a temple in Bozhou — Huatuo'an, where sculptures of people performing the movements of these animals can be seen. These figures are so lifelike that they seem to come alive.

I [Master Yongsheng Sheng] was born in Bozhou and lived near the Huatuo'an temple. As a child, I often played there. There were beautiful willows hanging over the water, small bridges across the lake, pavilions, wooden railings, and stone-built hills. Nowadays, you need to buy a ticket to enter.

Bozhou is known as the home of martial arts in China, and almost everyone here practices martial arts. At competitions or demonstrations, they always start with a performance of the ‘Five Animal Play’. Typically, it’s done by five children: one who can jump well portrays the tiger, the tall child portrays the running deer, the sturdy one portrays the bear, the agile and small one portrays the monkey, and the girl portrays the flying bird. When the movements end, the children freeze, creating a beautiful static scene.

It could be that some people, even after practicing Taiji or the Eight Brocades, still suffer from neck and shoulder discomfort and don’t achieve the desired health benefits. Therefore, we offer to try additionally teaching in Hua Tuo’s ‘Five Animal Play’. Join our sessions to strengthen your body and improve your health together!