Qigong - Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century

A PBS Television Documentary

Narrated by James Shigeta (Star of Flower Drum Song and Disney's Mulan) and Directed by Francesco Garri Garripoli

Click here for the videotape order page.

Qigong (pronounced "chee-gung") is a 5,000 year old Chinese healthcare modality that has both endured the test of time and is making a tremendous resurgence at the threshold of the 21st Century. Literally millions practice Qigong in China and around the world each day to successfully treat diseases ranging from hypertension to cancer. The purpose of this one-hour documentary is to provide a unique look into the world where the elder Masters of this medical artform dwell. Viewers will be taken on a journey deep into the Chinese and Tibetan countryside to visit monasteries, temples, schools, and homes of these Masters like the 93 year old female bone-setting Master Lao and the spry 92 year old Wushu Master Duan Zhi Liang; seeing them perform and teach their exercise and healing techniques and hearing them speak in their original homeland settings to gain historic perspective.

With the growing demands of modern healthcare, these Masters are being asked to come into the public light. The reason they are being brought forward is because of the tremendous scientific evidence that has been accumulated to show the value of Qigong as a component of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) and a treatment for many chronic diseases that have no cure with Western Medicine. The National Institutes of Health s Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) in Washington, DC has funded in-depth CAM research projects at 12 major universities across the U.S. including Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and others. Two-thirds of all medical schools have now included CAM courses in their basic curriculum. Some of these universities have even set up departments to make permanent this area of study and incorporate Qigong in their research criteria. As Qigong moves into the public awareness through these efforts and through the dozens of videotapes and books coming onto the market, it seems critical that an historic and cultural perspective is provided for this "new" adjunct to our healthcare offerings. A core message in this program is to show that through a melding of the East and West--a merging of traditional methodologies and beneficial emerging-technologies--positive solutions will be found to many problems that plague society today. Qigong shows that people can take responsibility for their own healthcare and achieve benefits for their body, mind and spirit.

"Qigong - Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century" is produced and directed by Garripoli, Emmy award winning graphics and special effects designer, author, and longtime Qigong practitioner. Author of "Qigong - Essence of the Healing Dance," his expertise ensures a sensitive treatment of this subject while making it accessible to the Western viewer. The natural Chinese settings including Beijing, Datong, Luoyang, the Shaolin Temple, Xian, Chengdu, and Shanghai will provide viewers with an insight into the wonders of the Chinese culture. Footage from the country of Tibet will captivate you with its magic. The insights into the wonders of Qigong's medical implications will be a unique offering for the growing number of students, medical doctors, and healthcare professionals from around the world. For all, it will be exciting to learn of the history and current practice of this exciting cultural gift from China which may hold the answer to better healthcare in the next century.

"Thank you for sharing the inspiration of Chi Gung to all who find it curious, of which I am one. As a nursing assistant, this video--shown on our local PBS station - brought a ray of hope, strength, and focus, with great attitude and heart, to illuminate and integrate an otherwise rather uninspiring day." 
-- SK, USA

Click on your modem speed below (pick 56k if you aren't sure) to view the streaming video in real time (this way doesn't download onto your computer and take up any disk space, but the quality is just for previewing) Please be patient, about 1 minute, for the connection

28.8k 56k Cable/ISDN

Optional: PC Users - Use your mouse to "right click" this link (Choose "Save Target As...") to download the video file onto your computer and then view it with RealOne Player (1.7 MB download)

Don't have the RealOne Player? Click here to get it free.

"Having your Qigong documentary to show at my presentation earned me the opportunity to convince the staff of our Hospital to allow me to teach Qigong at the Center for Health and Healing. Thank you. It will be a privilege to share your gift with all my classes and hope that it will generate more interest in Qigong. Our world is a much better place thanks to your effort."
-- S.M., Illinois

Click here for the videotape order page.