What sports do Li people enjoy themselves?

In the long historical process, the Li people have created extremely colorful sports culture in their struggle with nature and production and life practice, such as archery, musket shooting, slingshot, "pushing cattle" (pushing knees), "pulling turtles", beating dogs back to the slope, beating flowers with sticks, jumping bamboo poles, covering their necks (stringing vines), and double knives for money clocks.

Stone crossbow

Slingshot is a traditional sport of Li nationality living in the hinterland of Wuzhishan, and it is a competitive form characterized by slingshot.

Historically, the ancestors of the Li people used Mu Cha to make bows and used twine or animal tendons as strings. Rub the clay into small balls, dry them and make them into small balls, or pick up some pebbles in the river. Put pebbles in the middle of the rope to shoot squirrels and drive away birds. Nowadays, slingshot has become a very distinctive sport of Li nationality.

When Li people hold a slingshot competition, they choose an open space. At a distance of 5 meters or 10 meters, there is an annular central target with a diameter of 20 cm. Participants take part in competitions such as vertical shooting or kneeling shooting with homemade slingshots. Each person shoots 10 shells, and the party with more rings wins. Slingshot is a favorite sport for teenagers, which can exercise their arm strength and visual accuracy.

"Top Cow" (Top Knee)

Niu Ding is a kind of sports activity formed by Li people imitating the fighting posture of cattle, and it is a kind of powerful sports.

In the rural areas of Li nationality, cattle are the main tools of productive labor, and the phenomenon of beating cattle is common. In the long-term contact between people and cattle, imitating the fighting posture of cattle for entertainment has gradually developed into a form of competitive sports.

Generally, a flat land is selected for the top bull competition, and a circle with a radius of 1.5m is drawn on the ground, and a small circle with a radius of 0.75m is drawn in the circle. The contestants stood face to face. When hearing the referee's order, the contestants raise one foot, hold hands tightly, aim at each other's knees, and push or contradict each other. The lifted foot can't land, only one foot can move back and forth in the circle. If the opponent crosses the line within the specified time, it is the winner. Most Li bullfights are held in traditional festivals. Because its competition method is simple and easy to learn, and it is also an exercise to exercise the flexibility of lower limbs, it is mostly loved by Li Youth.

"Pull the tortoise"

Turtle pulling is an interesting sport created by Li people by imitating the walking style of turtles.

Turtle-pulling activity is a kind of sports activity held by Li youth in slack season or festive festival. This game is similar to tug-of-war, and it is a competition between Li Men. In the competition, two strong young men tied a red rope with a "split knot" around their waist, and then both sides fell down in the opposite direction and landed with their hands on the ground. There are three parallel lines on both sides. Before the game starts, the referee will control this "middle knot" in a straight line in the middle. As soon as the game whistle sounded, he let go and the two youths went their separate ways. Whoever pulls the "center knot" out of the straight line near him is the winner. Turtle-pulling activities are conducive to training people's waist and abdomen strength and cultivating people's turtle-pulling skills.

Beat the dog and return to the slope

Playing dogs uphill, also known as "playing dogs uphill", is a traditional sports activity attended by many Li people in Luhuitou area, Sanya, Hainan. Because its form and content are similar to international hockey games, it is also called "Lee's Hockey Game".

According to the folklore of the Li nationality, returning the dog to the slope originated from the celebration after the harvest of the Li nationality. In the early days, people harvested in the fields, made balls from coconut leaves, and played football in the fields where rice was harvested for entertainment. It is inconvenient because of the entanglement between rice roots and mud. Later, someone cut off the branches and cut them into the shape of curved sticks to catch them, which gradually formed the way of beating dogs and returning slopes today. Traditional games popular among Li people, the size of the venue is adapted to local conditions. There is no limit to the number of contestants, and they are divided into two teams. The election was announced by the elected notary. In the game, both sides compete for the ball and catch the ball with a curved wooden stick. Anyone who hits the ball to the opponent's baseline counts as a score. The length of the game is decided by both sides, and the one with more points wins. After the game, the losing player came out with the winning player on his back, while the winning player waved a stick behind his back and shouted, Come on. This scene is very interesting.

Among the Li people, most of them are boys and girls who take part in dog hunting competitions. Because this activity is lively, humorous, simple and easy, and integrates competitions and games, it is widely loved by local Li teenagers.