Questions about Ancient Chinese Sports

The word "cuju" was first used in the Historical Records of China (史记-苏秦列传), in which Su Qin described Linmiao when he was lobbying King Xuan of Qi as follows: "Linmiao is very rich and solid, and its people do not fail to play the pole, drum the serpent, and step on the bow. Cuju is also known as "step on the bow", "cuju", "cuju round", "building ball", "kick round" and so on, "cu" that is, kicking with the foot, "jiu" system of leather ball, "cuju" is to kick the ball, "cuju" is an ancient Chinese sport, "cuju" is an ancient Chinese sport, "cuju" is an ancient Chinese sport, "cuju" is an ancient Chinese sport, "cuju" is an ancient Chinese sport. It is an ancient Chinese sport, there are direct confrontation, indirect confrontation and white hit three forms.

Cuju has been passed down for more than two thousand three hundred years, it originated in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period of Qi's capital city of Linzi, the Tang and Song dynasties are most prosperous, and often appear "the ball does not fall all day long", "the ball does not leave the foot, the foot is not away from the ball, the Chinese court ornamental, ten thousand people look up to the" scene.

The traditional Chinese culture centered on Confucianism emphasizes "harmony" and "mediocrity", and in most cases the social and cultural mentality of the society is to emphasize the "rule of literature" and lighten the "martial arts". In most cases, the social and cultural mentality emphasizes "cultural governance" over "martial arts". People respect the modesty and elegance of the humble gentleman, and despise the competition and victory of the martial artist. In this social and cultural context, Cuju gradually evolved from a confrontational game to a performance-based competition.

The Traceability

The earliest records of the game of soccer were found in the Records of the Grand Historian (史记) and the Strategies of the Warring States (战国策). Both the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) and the Zuanguo Ce (Strategies of the Warring States) show that cuju had developed into a mature form of entertainment and was widely practiced among the people of Linzi, the former capital of Qi at the time. King Xuan of Qi in 319 BC - 301 BC reign, it can be concluded that: more than two thousand three hundred years ago or earlier in a period of history, in the former capital of Qi Linzi city soccer activities have been widely carried out. Cuju has developed into a folk prevalent sports and recreational activities program.

After the unification of the six states of Qin, cuju sport was silent. After the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, it flourished again. The Han Dynasty people cuju as a "rule of martial arts" way, not only in the army, but also in the court aristocrats in general popularity. Xijing Miscellany" on the record: Liu Bang became emperor, the father of Liu Taigong received Chang'an City, Weiyang Palace retirement, food and clothing used in the most luxurious, all day long to see the kabuki music. However, he was not satisfied, and spent his days moping. It turns out that Liu Taigong lived in the lower class of the city since childhood, close to the mortal soldiers, slaughtering dogs and cows of the generation, the entertainment after work can not be separated from the cockfighting, cuju. Therefore, Liu Bang issued an imperial decree to build a new city a hundred miles east of Chang'an, modeled on the scale of the original Pei County's Fengyi, relocating all the residents of the original Fengyi to the new city, and Liu Taigong and Liu Wen also moved to live there. The city's main attraction was the "Cockfighting and Cuju", which was a great success.

From this story, we can know that during the Warring States period, soccer was a popular recreational activity for the lower class of the city, and in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, soccer was also loved by the aristocracy. Huan Kuan's "Salt and Iron Theory" said that the Western Han society had been in the ascendant for a long time, and that "the nobleman's house, cuju and cockfighting" were for fun, and the general people were also in the "Kangzhuang chi chi, the poor alley cuju".

The Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty loved to watch Cuju. The Book of Han" records that Emperor Wu often held in the palace to cockfighting, cuju game as the content of the "chicken bow will", the home of the favorite minister Dong Xian also specializes in raising the "bow guest" will play football (similar to today's ball players). It can be seen that during the Western Han Dynasty, the social aspect of soccer activities expanded even more.

Because of the prosperity of cuju, the Han Dynasty also appeared in the study of the sport's monographs, the Han Dynasty had written a "cuju twenty-five", which is China's earliest book of a sports professional, but also the world's first sports professional books. Ban Gu in writing "Han Shu - Arts and Letters Zhi", the "Cuju twenty-five" as a military book, belonging to the military training of military skills category, but unfortunately later lost. Xiang Chu in the Western Han Dynasty was the first person to be famous in history for soccer, but his experience was unfortunate. According to the "Records of the Grand Historian", Chun Yu Yi, a famous doctor, advised Xiang Chu to not overwork himself, but Xiang Chu did not listen to him and went out to play soccer, which resulted in his death from vomiting blood, which also made Xiang Chu the first fan in the world.

With the development of social productivity, soccer production technology has also improved. In the Tang Dynasty, there were two major improvements in the ball-making process: first, the ball shell synthesized with two pieces of skin was changed to a round shell sewn with eight pieces of sharp skin. The shape of the ball is more round. The second is the ball shell inside the plug hair to put an animal urine bubble, "boo gas closed and blowing", become an inflatable ball, which is also the first invention in the world. According to the world sports history, the British invention of blowing the ball is in the eleventh century, three or four hundred years later than our country Tang Dynasty time.

The ball in the Tang Dynasty was lighter and could be kicked higher. The goal was located on two three-foot-high bamboo poles, known as the "network for the door to the degree of the ball". In the kicking method, the Han Dynasty is a direct confrontation of the team competition, "out of the way to Cheng便, cover like soldiers garrison". The physical contact between the two players is like a war. Tang dynasty team competition, is not a direct confrontation, but the interval between the goal, the two sides on one side, to shoot "the number of winners". From the soccer technology, is a development: and indirect confrontation, from the physical training, is a regression of soccer.

Because the ball is light, and no intense running and fighting, the Tang Dynasty began to have women's soccer. Women's soccer kicking method is not to use the goal, in order to kick high, kicking out of the pattern for the ability, called "white hit". Tang Dynasty poet Wang Jian has a "Palace Lyrics" said that on the day of the Cold Food Festival, the Yichun courtyard of the playgirls to kick the ball for fun. Tang Taizong, Xuanzong love to watch soccer, when the goal is "tree two bamboo, net on the net, to the door for the degree of the ball. The ball is divided into left and right pals, to corner the winners and losers". The Tang Dynasty not only had a women's soccer, and some women kicked the ball technology is also very high.

Not only in the emperor's palace there are such customary activities, folk also. Poet Wang Wei "cold food east of the city that is the matter" poem, "Cuju repeatedly over the birds, swing competition out of the poplars," which can be seen kicking the ball high. Du Fu's poem "Qingming" also said, "ten years of Cuju will be far away, thousands of miles of the same custom of swing", also shows the popularity of the custom of kicking the ball. This custom has been continued until the Southern Song Dynasty, the poet Lu You in the "Spring Evening Sensing Pavilion" poem depicted the scene: "Cold food Liangzhou 100,000 families, swing cuju still luxury." And the old end of the chapter cover the thought that there is a wide from the poem, "Road into Liangzhou like palm flat, the autumn swing cuju take advantage of the bright" lines.

When there is a game, there are stars. What kind of people were famous for playing soccer at that time? If you've read a lot of ancient books, you've probably guessed it: evil teenagers. More notable were a number of Tang emperors, such as Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty, who often climbed up a "Qinzheng Building" to watch people cuju and wrestling from above, an ironic scene that was much more urbane than his ancestors. Of course, he is not the only one so, wait a few generations after the Tang Xizong, himself became a bad boy, personally Cuju cockfighting, and the Tang dynasty's last emperor Zhaozong was Zhu Wen forced to move from Chang'an to Luoyang on the road, the six armies have run out, only a group of Divine Strategies or bad boy origin of the "ball offering" to follow him, see the depth of feeling. This shows the depth of affection. The army after the middle Tang Dynasty, there were a lot of bad boys, weekdays in the street cuju cockfighting gambling.

Cuju was greatly developed in the Song Dynasty. In Shi Nai-an's "Water Margin", he wrote about Gao Ziang, a man who became a lieutenant by kicking a soccer ball. Although the novel exaggerates the deeds and character of the characters, it is basically a fact of the Song Dynasty. Gao Ziang was a great soccer player, and because he played soccer with Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, he was promoted to the position of commander in chief of the Imperial Palace, which is one of the earliest famous soccer stars.

Gao Zizi because of kicking the ball and make a fortune, tell us this two things: one is the emperor of the Song dynasty and bureaucratic aristocrats are fond of kicking the ball, some people themselves love to kick the ball, some people love to see kicking the ball. Song Huizong Zhao Ji is a soccer fan, he watched the courtesans play soccer after writing a poem: "Shaoguang Wanmei belongs to the Qingming, open banquet Sichen to Mu Qing. Near the secret was declared to compete in cuju, two friends between the court and then win or lose." The literature of the General Kao introduced: "Song female disciples team 153 people, clothing four colors, embroidered Luo broad shirt, tie brocade belt, kicking embroidered ball, the ball does not leave the foot, the foot does not leave the ball, Hua Ting ornamental, 10,000 people look up to." The Shanghai Museum hides a "Song Taizu Cuju Figure", depicting the scene.

Song Dynasty society also has a specialized soccer skills to maintain a living by kicking the soccer ball artists. According to records, the Northern Song Dynasty Bianliang City and the Southern Song Dynasty Lin'an City, in the palace banquet performance of kicking the ball of the famous players, there are Su Shu, Meng Xuan, Zhang Jun, Li Zheng, etc.; in the city of tile kicking the ball of the artists, there are Huang Ruyi, Fan Lao'er, Sun, Zhang Ming, Cai Run and so on.

Song dynasty soccer and the Tang dynasty kicking the same way, with the goal of the indirect game and do not use the goal of the "white hit", but most of the books are white hit kicking. The so-called "head of 100,000 kicks, hundreds of thousands of solutions" means that the kicking pattern action and a set of action composed of several patterns, referring to the use of the head, shoulders, back, chest, knees, legs, feet and a complete set of kicking techniques, so that "the ball does not fall all day". From this point of view, the Song Dynasty soccer, from the shot than accurate has been to the dexterity and control of the ball technology development.

The Song Dynasty ball production process than the Tang Dynasty has improved, the ball shell from eight pieces of sharp skin development for the "twelve pieces of incense skin built". Raw material is "cooked nitrate yellow leather, solid light cut". Craftsmanship is "dense masonry sewn, not showing the corner of the line". The weight of the ball should be "12 taels". The specifications of the soccer ball should be "broken up into ten rounds". The quality of the ball made in this way was of course very high. At that time, the handicraft workshop ball production, there are forty different varieties, each variety has its own advantages and disadvantages. The improvement of the ball-making process promoted the development of the kicking technique; and the development of the ball-making handicraft industry reflected the increase of social needs.

In order to safeguard their own interests and promote mutual assistance, at least in the Southern Song Dynasty, Song Dynasty kickball artists also organized their own groups, called "Qi Yun She", also known as the "round society". This is a specialized cuju organization, dedicated to cuju activities of the competition organization and publicity and promotion, which is China's earliest single-sports associations, similar to today's soccer clubs; it can also be said that it is the world's earliest soccer clubs.

To the Yuan Dynasty, Guan Hanqing and others in the prose described the men and women against the soccer scene. But this kind of male-female kicking was no longer about the two sides seeking their own entertainment, but about women kicking a soccer ball as a kind of kung fu for others to enjoy. Sadusuji "prostitutes cuju" prose song said: "Bibi just song and dance in front of the flower feast, learning into the world of qiyun round". It can be seen that kicking the ball and song and dance are the same as the banquet on the Kabuki. "Occupy the field to accompany the hero" of the women, most of the "Xie Pavilion Qin Lou", "Ming Ke Alley" of the "beautiful Cindy ", it can be seen that playing soccer has become a means of entertainment for prostitutes. Kickball entertainment social has been greatly reduced, it is no longer a festival activities, and no longer a banquet program, but and debauchery linked to the entertainment.

"Ming History" records, embracing the three Wu, claiming that the soldiers cut off the Wu King Zhang Shicheng's younger brother Zhang Shixin, "every division, do not ask the military, always with simarouba (a kind of gambling), cuju, embracing the women's feast." Visible kicking has been linked with lewdness. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang after the emperor, passed down the imperial decree, strictly prohibit the military to play soccer. Zhu Yuanzhang's imperial decree could only prohibit soldiers from playing soccer, but it did not change the recreational nature of soccer. Known as the Ming Dynasty social encyclopedia of the novel "Plum in the Golden Vase", there is a description of Simon Qing in the Lichun hospital to watch the prostitute Li Gui sister kick the ball: Simon Qing ate a round of wine, came out outside the courtyard first kick, and taught Gui sister with two round society kick. "A piggyback head, a pair of barriers, between the argument kicks and abductions, no false applause and flattery." The above description is also a good indication of the entertainment nature of kicking in the Ming Dynasty.

To the Qing Dynasty, in the history of soccer activities on the record, there are very few. China's ancient cuju activities, since the Warring States through thousands of years, in the Han, Tang, Song era, once like a comet, emitting bright light; later, into the water of the Qing Dynasty society, leaving only a little foam, and finally dark fall.

Artistic Characteristics

Cuju is an ancient Chinese sport, Cuju games have three forms: direct confrontation, indirect confrontation and white fight.

Cuju games with goals can be divided into direct competition with double goals and indirect competition with single goals. The direct competition with two goals was the main way of Cuju in the Han Dynasty (206 BC~220 AD) and was used for military training. For direct confrontation games, a cuju city, i.e., a court, was set up with a short wall around it. Both sides have like a small house like goal; field players each 12, the two sides in direct physical contact with the confrontation, like war, kicking the bow into the opposing team's goal more winners.

In the specialized competition site - Ju City, the goal of the two compartments correspond to the two players on both sides of the relative attack, scoring for the win from the double goal competition evolved from the single goal indirect competition is the Tang (618 AD ~ 907 years) Song (960 AD ~ 1279 years) period of Cuju's main way, mainly used for the court banquets and diplomatic ceremonial competition performances. Indirect rivalry game in the middle of the interval between the goal, the goal in the middle of more than two feet of "wind flow eye", both sides on one side, in the case of the ball does not fall to the ground, can be made to pass through the eye of the wind flow of the more winners.

The loose kicking without a goal is called BaiDa, the longest and most widely practiced, with a variety of forms ranging from one to ten players. White fight is mainly competition pattern and skill, also known as the competition "solution", each set of solutions have a variety of kicking action, such as abduction, tiptoe, ride, stirrups, twist, etc., the ancients also gave some action name, such as turn Qiankun Kun, swallow to the nest, slanting flowers, the wind swinging Lotus, the Buddha top beads, dry land to pick up the fish, the Golden Buddha mill, shoulders back the moon, abduction meteoric, and so on.