A palace in an ancestor hall commemorating tai chi masters in Chenjiagou, Henan province.  [Poto by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

But this helped its development.

And as tai chi's popularity grew, Chenjiagou came to the notice of its enthusiasts.

Now, an increasing number of tai chi masters have returned to the village and set up shops.

A tai chi school was built in 1980 and has been running ever since.

There are two arenas in the school gym - one is for wrestling, and the other for free combat, a local guide tells us.

There are now roughly 40 private gyms offering tai chi education in Chenjiagou, and Zhu runs one of them.

Zhu had his father's old house renovated in 2005 and began to take in students in 2007.

Some come to learn tai chi to become masters, while others do it for health reasons or experience the culture, says Zhu.

Typically, adult visitors spend between one week to a month in the village practicing tai chi, he says.

Zhu's house can accommodate roughly 30 students and his class is usually fully booked over the May-November period with 500-800 students every year.

Meanwhile, many of the 3,000 locals like Zhu have benefited from the tai chi culture, and some make a living from training.

In addition, approximately 200 local trainers teach abroad making $100-$300 an hour.