Press Release For Immediate Posting
New Qigong Healthcare Documentary is a First for Public
Television
Date: March, 1st 2001
A one-hour documentary is currently airing on PBS affiliate
stations around the US that may challenge Western medical
thinking, and simultaneously, embrace a pathway for
complementary healing modalities in the new millennium.
“Qigong - Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century,” airs nationwide exclusively through
American Public Television (APT--formerly American
Program Service,) a major source of programming for
the nation’s Public Television stations. Known
for identifying innovative programs and developing creative
distribution techniques, APT provides stations with
program choices that enable them to strengthen and customize
their schedules. “Qigong” (pronounced
‘chee-gung’) is the first television program
to present this 5,000 year-old healing system from a
scholarly scientific and cultural-history perspective. Shot
completely in Mainland China, this documentary offers
never-before-seen footage of elder Masters performing
Qigong exercises and treating patients with “Qi,”
or “life-force energy.”
Writer/Director Francesco Garri Garripoli
of Wuji Productions, author of the book Qigong - Essence of the Healing Dance, lived in China for two
years, shooting in temples and clinics across the country
and in Tibet, to capture unique and beautiful footage
that will fascinate the medical establishment and lay
people alike. “My goal is to take Qigong out
of the ‘mystical’ realm and show it in the
practical light that it is seen with in China's
medical community.” Through interviews with
physicians and researchers, the viewer is shown that'since the end of the Cultural Revolution, valid scientific
data continues to emerge to support the use of Qigong
for successfully treating diseases ranging from hypertension
to cancer.
“Qigong - Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century” takes an intimate look at people
of all ages, ranging from students in their teens to
the 92 year-old doctor Master Duan, as they practice
the simple breathing and stretching exercises of Qigong
to stay in good health. Here in the West, with
a financial healthcare crisis upon us, this program
presents the idea that the accessibility and simplicity
of Qigong may help all of us regain responsibility for
our own health and well being. Similar to Yoga,
and the predecessor of Tai Chi, it is thought that Qigong--with over 80 million who practice it each day--may become the “next” popular exercise here
in the West.
Narrated by seasoned actor James Shigeta, (star of
“Flower Drum Song” and Disney's “Mulan”)
“Qigong - Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century” may help answer many questions about
Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and satisfy the
growing curiosity we all share about alternative and
complementary healing modalities from around the world.
Francesco Garri Garripoli, with his book and
the “Qigong” home video premiums, is available
for pledge drives and community outreach events upon
request. The Detroit PBS affiliate, WTVS, has already
raised over $200,000 in pledges for their station through
the airing of this documentary!
For more information, click
here to contact us.
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