About Phenomenological Resonances in the Chinese World
Within Taoist and qìgōng (氣功, mastering the qì, art of the qì) experiences, namely bodily, self-cultivation, religious and healing experiences, one can hear phenomenological resonances. Those are particularly strong with the phenomenology of perception. Not only an inherited knowledge and techniques at the crossroads of martial arts, healing arts, and the religious lore in the Chinese world, qìgōng is also a modern experience (dating back to early 20th century), and a contemporary experience (post-1979 economic reform era). Its many forms with infinite variations draw a complex configuration wherein social and politico-religious implications enable qìgōng to be defined as a social practice as well. Located between theories of knowledge and studies of experience, how can phenomenologies in anthropology feed the discussion about local phenomenologies in a reciprocal exchange between disciplines such as philosophy, social anthropology and area studies ? The article is organized in two parts : the first one recalls some aspects of phenomenology in philosophy and in anthropology which resonate in the Chinese world. The second on focuses on these resonances with the case-study of qìgōng experiences interlaced with Taoist experiences.