Qi (气) is like air: we can’t see it, but we wouldn’t be able to live without it. The life force, vitality, inner fire, life-giving breath – none of these terms render tangible its significance and versatility. In Chinese philosophy, it is viewed as a force representing the essence of life.
I understood that it exists thanks to acupuncture, which relives pain by balancing the flow of qi in the body. I sprained my shoulder while carrying a scooter up the long stairs of the Beijing metro. A young doctor working at the local hospital asked me to lie down on a couch separated by a thin curtain from the rest of the room. She inserted a few needles into my body and stimulated them with low-voltage for a better effect. It didn’t hurt, since she managed to accurately locate the acupuncture points
