What sports did the ancients have?

Ball sports: cuju, polo, and whack-a-mole

In modern life, soccer, basketball, and volleyball are known as the "Big Three" and have attracted a lot of attention. Modern soccer, one of the big three, originated in England, but the real history of the game is that the predecessor of soccer actually originated in China, where it was known as "Cuju" in ancient times.

Cuju originated during the Warring States period, flourished further during the Han Dynasty, and reached its peak during the Tang and Song dynasties. Because cuju for the field and other requirements, the common people are difficult to access, but the dignitaries are very favorite, prevalent in the upper class at that time, became the court of an elegant activity. Gao Ziangzui of the Song Dynasty, because of the cuju sports play well, got the emperor's appreciation, to be able to step up to the sky.

Lu You once wrote, "Cuju field side of ten thousand people to see, a spring under the banner of the swing busy," showing the popularity of Cuju at the time, just the ancients if you know the development of soccer in China today, I do not know how it will feel.

In addition to cuju, the ball game in ancient China also included polo, also known as "bowing". First popularized during the Han Dynasty, it is a sport played on a horse and is known in modern times as "golf on a horse".

Historically, polo became more and more popular as the Central Plains interacted with the nomadic peoples of the north. Many emperors of the Tang Dynasty were polo enthusiasts, but also focus on the training and cultivation of polo players, polo even on the diplomatic stage, became the Tang Dynasty in the reception of foreign ambassadors when the necessary entertainment programs.