Tai Chi practice and community belonging in active aging: embodied, relational, and place-based embedding in a Beijing community

Background Active aging requires more than preserving physical function; it also depends on meaningful participation, social connection, and valued community roles. Community Tai Chi combines physical activity with opportunities for social participation, yet attendance alone does not establish belonging. This study examined how bodily experience, relationships, and identification with groups and places were connected, and what qualified those connections. Methods An interpretive qualitative case study used June 2025 interviews with eight practitioners aged 53–75 years and one community worker in a university-affiliated community in Beijing, China. Grounded theory-informed comparison of edited Chinese texts drew on 95 selected meaning units, 31 subcategories, and eight main categories. Within-participant and cross-participant comparisons retained discrepant accounts. Results Participants connected learning and everyday routines with recurring contact, mutual notice, and shared activities. Belonging varied in depth and object: practice acquaintances, team membership, university identification, and residential attachment were distinguishable. New acquaintances did not necessarily imply stronger community cohesion. Only two practitioners (R05 and R08) were identified as internal migrants to Beijing: R05 relocated after retirement for grandchild care, whereas R08 undertook long-term paid domestic care work. Their accounts illustrated opportunities for contact and team belonging, alongside constraints from caregiving and employment. Instruction, volunteer coordination, teaching costs, performance expectations, and institutional permission also qualified participation. Conclusion Embodied, relational, and place-based embedding form related interpretive dimensions rather than a demonstrated progression. The contribution is an account of how organized practice offers opportunities for belonging that remain contingent on participants’ circumstances and access to resources. Inclusive provision should consider the fit between practice arrangements and everyday responsibilities, distinguish the objects of belonging, and evaluate organizational changes separately from health outcomes. Shared skill as a portable social credential remains a provisional explanation of initial contact, not evidence of durable migrant inclusion.