How ancient China rewarded athletes

China is a country that attaches great importance to sports and fitness for all, including soccer, a variety of sports were created by the ancient Chinese, in rewarding outstanding athletes, the ancient Chinese were not cheap.

Sending "tickets" Yuan Wu Zong once gave "silver thousand two banknotes four hundred ingots"

Giving the winning players directly to the prize money, that is, the so-called hair "tickets", is the modern This is a commonly used means of reward in modern times, but it was also the case in ancient China, where gold and silver were given as prizes. But the more generous, probably to count the Yuan Dynasty, and issued a real "ticket".

Wrestling, the Mongolian people's traditional sports, the Mongols especially like this sport, the winner of the prize money. According to the "Yuan Shi - Wu Zong Benji two", to the big three years (1310) in April, Yuan Wu Zong Hai Shan has given wrestling bulls Aar bonus, give "silver thousand taels, 400 ingots of banknotes". How much is this one thousand taels of silver equivalent to? Yuan dynasty one or two about modern 40 grams, one thousand two is 40,000 grams, to the current international silver price of about 5.50 yuan per gram of the market to calculate, one thousand two silver can be worth 220,000 yuan.

Another "banknote four hundred ingots" and how much? China is the world's earliest use of paper money countries, "banknotes" is a mature paper money, today's "banknotes", "tickets" is so come. At that time, 400 ingots of banknotes was 2000 kan, 1 two silver is equivalent to about 2 kan banknotes, so, 400 ingots of banknotes is worth 1,000 taels of silver. The silver banknotes add up, and the total amount Al was rewarded was equivalent to 400,000 yuan, which was also quite high at that time.

In Shuo De Barr (Yuan Yingzong) when the emperor, had in the first year of the reign of the Emperor (1321 AD) "to give the corner of the butt hundred and twenty people banknotes of thousands of guan", that is, the award of 120 wrestling excellence, each person to send a bonus of 100 guan banknotes. Although much less than the prize money awarded by the Al, but each person is equivalent to 50 taels of silver.

There were also many competitions in the Qing Dynasty that offered prizes. Manchurian Qing dynasty originated in the northeast, the ice sports, that is, the so-called "ice play" is fond of, the Qianlong emperor "ice play in the preface of the fugue" called "national custom", every year there is a national ice competition, known as "check ice Ice test". According to the "Qing Dynasty Documentation" records, the winners of the "first three silver reward ten taels, the second three silver reward eight taels, three silver reward six taels, the rest of the soldiers are rewarded four taels of silver."

Reward "silver cup" Northern Wei Xiaowu Emperor with silver wine goblet as a prize

Modern sports competitions winners, often referred to as the "cup", in ancient China there are really take the cup as a prize.

The Northern Wei Dynasty is the North and South Dynasties Xianbei people in the north of the regime established, Xianbei people advocate mounted archery, as a traditional sport in ancient China archery, in the Northern Wei Dynasty is attached importance to the court, the people are often held in this area of the game.

According to the "Northern History - Wei Zongzhuru Liezhuan" records, the Northern Wei Dynasty Xiaowu Emperor Yuan Shu had held an archery competition in the imperial garden of the capital city of Luoyang, the so-called "play shooting" in the garden of Hualin. The prize was a "silver wine goblet" that could only hold two liters of wine. The "goblet" was a common vessel used by the ancients to hold wine, and it was actually an oversized wine cup, whose shape was very similar to that of a modern sports trophy.

At that time, there were more than a dozen archery masters competing in the competition, and Emperor Yuan Shu made the silver wine goblet hang a hundred paces away, and whoever hit the goblet would be the winner. The result of the Puyang King Yuan Shun shot, in addition to the only won the "trophy" outside, but also was the emperor extra reward of gold, silk and other money. After this award, Yuan Shun is very happy, especially in the then shot at the arrow hole cast a small silver man, and in the small silver man on the back of the inscription, recounting his superb archery skills.

Song Taizong Zhao Gui also took the cup to reward the players. According to the "Song Shi - Jia Li Zhi four" records, Chunhua three years (A.D. 992) in March, Zhao Gui to the Jinming Pond inspection, to watch the "competition of the play". The so-called "competition play" is a dragon boat competition or swimming competition, such as water events. Out of the fun and test players water needs, Zhao Gui will be a silver ou as a prize, far into the water, let the players swim across to get it. This silver ou is a silver cup (a small basin), of course, who got to who, really became a "trophy".