A ball game that first originated in ancient China

Cuju (cù jū), a skill and sport widely popular among the Han Chinese folk and even the national army in ancient China, which is the origin of today's soccer, which as an important culture of the Han Chinese people influenced other ethnic groups, until it gradually spread to the world.

In fact, the emergence of cuju and the formation and development of the sport, from the excavated artifacts and other historical documents, China's greatest prosperity of the era of the Yellow Emperor has been to promote this sport. At least, Cuju is described in greater detail in the "Strategies of the Warring States" and the "Records of the Grand Historian". The former describes how cuju was already very popular in Linzi, the capital of Qi, during the Warring States period, more than 2,300 years ago, while the latter records that cuju had already been used as an important physical fitness and skill training program for national armies to train their soldiers. Examining the way to assess the physical fitness of soldiers and generals, "蹹鞠, the military situation is also, so the practice of warriors, know that there is also material." Historical Records - Su Qin biography ", Su Qin described Linzi when he lobbied King Xuan of Qi:" Linzi is very rich and real, its people do not blow pole, drums, step 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 use the foot to kick the ball, "cuju" is to use the foot to kick the ball, "cuju" is to use the foot to kick the ball, "cuju" is to use the foot to kick the ball. There are three forms of direct confrontation, indirect confrontation and white fight.

Since the Warring States period, Cuju has been developed over a thousand years, reaching its peak in the Tang and Song dynasties, and eventually dying out in China by the middle of the Qing dynasty.

In early 2004, FIFA confirmed that soccer originated in China and that cuju was the earliest recorded soccer activity.

On May 20, 2006, Cuju was approved by the State Council as an intangible cultural heritage to be included in the first national list of intangible cultural heritage.