Traditional Chinese Games & Sports: Jiju 击鞠, Chuiwan 捶丸, Mushe 木射, Touhu 投壶, Cuju 蹴鞠

Without the internet and mobile phones, people in ancient times could still have fun and colorful games.

生命在于运动 Life lies in movement (sports). The ancient Chinese people not only cultivated their feelings through poems and songs but also created many after-work sports to reflect the other side of life.

Below are some traditional Chinese games and sports:

Jiju (击鞠 ; jī jū)

Jiju (also known as polo 马球 mǎ qiú in modern times), is one of the traditional Chinese games/sport that was quite popular in the Tang dynasty.

Players would ride horses to hit the ball. The ball used in the Jiju game is about the size of a fist, the raw material of the ball is light and flexible wood. The ball is also carved with very beautiful patterns.

Regarding the origin of Jiju, some experts believe that Jiju was introduced from Persia (now Iran) to Tubo (now Tibet) in the Tang dynasty, and then became popular in the Central Plains.

Some believe that Jiju has existed since the Eastern Han dynasty. In the ancient Chinese document 《名都篇》 by Cao Zhi, there is a poem that says, “Jiju is continuously hit on the ground, and his skills are endless.” It can be concluded that Jiju originated from the Eastern Han dynasty.

Chuiwan (捶丸 ; chuí wán)

Chuiwan (捶丸 ; chuí wán) is a traditional game/sport in ancient China that uses sticks to hit the ball into a hole.

The ancestor of Chuiwan was the game “步打球 bù dǎ qiú” in the Tang dynasty, which was similar to modern field hockey and involved strong physical competition.

During the Song dynasty, 步打球 gradually transformed from a competitive sport played on the same field to a non-competitive game where players took turns hitting the ball.

The goal of the game was changed to a hole, and the name evolved into “Chuiwan 捶丸”.

In terms of development, Chuiwan experienced a period of glory during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties.

Mushe (木射; mù shè)

Mushe (木射; mù shè), also known as fifteen-pin bowling, is a large indoor activity in which players knock down pins placed at a distance using a rolling wooden ball.

Mushe originated and developed in the Tang dynasty.

The rules and methods of the game are illustrated very carefully and skillfully in the painting “Picture of Fifteen-Pin Bowling” by Lu Bing created during the Tang dynasty.

1. The game is usually played in a large room, with fifteen pins resembling bamboo shoots, arranged in a row at one end of the room.

The pins are painted red and black. Ten of the red pins have words that symbolize positive values, such as Kindness 仁, Justice 义, Courtesy 礼, Wisdom 智, Honesty 信, Gentleness 温, Kindness 良, Respect 良, Thrift 俭 and Humility 让.

While the other five black pins have words that represent negative values, such as Arrogance 傲, Arrogance/Slow 慢, Sycophancy 候, Greed 贪, and Abuse 滥.

2. Participants must throw a wooden ball (usually from a distance of 6 to 10 meters) toward the pins to knock them down.

Knocking down a red pin scores one point while knocking down a black pin loses one point.

3. The game consists of three sets, giving participants three chances (three balls) during each set.

4. Participants can play the game in a one-on-one match formula or a two-on-two match formula.

5. The winner is determined by getting the highest score. In case of a tie, extra time is added to the game. During extra time, participants play set after set until one of them wins.

Touhu (投壶 ; tóu hú)

Touhu (投壶 ; tóu hú) is a kind of throwing game played by ancient Chinese scholar-bureaucrats during banquets. Touhu is also a kind of etiquette.

Touhu is also played in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

The history of Touhu is very long, dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Touhu was not originally a game, but a kind of etiquette.

Origin

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, one of the etiquettes of feudal lords to entertain guests was to invite them to shoot arrows.

At that time, an adult male who did not know how to shoot arrows was considered a disgrace, and if the host offered to shoot arrows, the guest should not refuse.

Later, some guests who did not know how to shoot arrows would throw arrows into a jug or pot.

Over time, Touhu replaced archery and became a game during banquets.

Development

Warring States Period

Touhu developed rapidly during the Warring States period when literati tended to cultivate their hearts and play Touhu. For literati, Touhu was a quiet, peaceful, and etiquette activity, very suitable for them.

In addition, due to social development, it became more common for people to play Touhu for fun.

Pre-Qin period

In the pre-Qin period, the throwing pot had no ears, and red beans were filled into the pot so that the arrows would not come out after being thrown.

The standard size was seven inches long, two and a half inches in diameter, one foot two inches high, five liters in capacity, and five inches in pot belly. (According to the Zhou dynasty system, one inch is equal to 2.31 centimeters)

Qin and Han dynasties

After the Qin and Han dynasties, shooting events were abolished, and Touhu became a kind of entertainment for banquet guests.

At this time, Touhu also became popular among scholar-bureaucrats.

Compared with the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the method of throwing pots in the Han dynasty was greatly improved.

Previously, the original throwing pots were filled with red beans, so that the arrows would not jump out. However, during the Han dynasty, no red beans were put into the pot, so that the arrows would jump out, catch the arrows and throw them back.

Wei and Jin dynasties

Touhu was also popular in the Wei and Jin dynasties.

During the extensive activities of Touhu pots in the Jin dynasty, the pots were also developed by adding two ears on both sides of the pot.

Touhu, Cuju (ancient Chinese football), and Weiqi (Go) in ancient times spread eastward to North Korea.

Song dynasty

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, Touhu was still popular among literati and bureaucrats.

Sima Guang, a historian of the Song dynasty, was dissatisfied with the trend of Touhu entertainment that contradicted ancient rituals.

He made a complete summary of Touhu according to feudal etiquette and tried his best to make Touhu educational.

He said: “Touhu can heal the mind, cultivate the body, serve the country, and observe people. Why is this? The person who throws the pot does not let it go too far, nor does it lag, so it is in the middle. Not letting it drift away, so it is also right. Zhongzheng, the root of Tao”.

Scoring terms for playing Touhu with two ears on both sides of the pot:

1. Youchu (有初 ; yǒu chū): First arrow into the pot

2. Lianzhong (连中 ; lián zhòng): Second arrow into the pot in a row

3. Guan’er (贯耳 ; guàn ě r): Throwing into the ear of the pot

4. Sanjian (散箭 ; sàn jiàn) or scattered arrows: The first arrow does not enter the pot, the second arrow enters the pot

5. Quanhu (全壶 ; quán hú) or full pot: All arrows enter the pot

6. Youzhong (有终; yǒu zhōng): Only the last arrow entered the pot

And many more

Touhu has undergone several evolutions and has been inherited for more than two thousand years. It was once very prosperous and played smoothly among literati and bureaucrats.

The reason is that Touhu is an “ancient ceremony”, that is regarded by scholar-bureaucrats as elegant entertainment, which is in line with their way of life, and they are happy to accept it.

Secondly, this kind of entertainment itself can cultivate the body and mind and has the meaning of fitness.

However, in the late Qing dynasty, with the introduction of modern Western sports, Touhu gradually withdrew from the stage of history.

Cuju (蹴鞠; cù jū)

Cuju (蹴鞠; cù jū) is an ancient Chinese football game, the earliest recorded form of football.

Cuju is a competitive game involving kicking a ball through a gap into a net without using the hands.

Dating back to the Han dynasty, a Chinese military work from the 3rd–2nd century BC describes Cuju as an exercise.

Cuju was also played in other Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.

The first mention of Cuju in a historical text is in the Warring States era Zhan Guo Ce, in a section describing the state of Qi. It is also described in the Records of the Grand Historian Sima Qian (under the Biography of Su Qin), written during the Han dynasty.

A competitive form of Cuju was used as fitness training for military men, while other forms were played for entertainment.

Han dynasty

During the Han dynasty, the popularity of Cuju spread from the army to the imperial court and the upper classes.

It is said that the Han emperor Wu Di was fond of the sport of Cuju.

At the same time, the game of Cuju was standardized and rules were established. Cuju matches were often held inside the imperial palace.

Tang dynasty

The sport was developed during the Tang dynasty.

First, the feather ball was replaced by an air-filled ball with a double-layer hull.

Also, two different types of goalposts appeared: One was made by installing poles with a net between them and the other consisted of only one goalpost in the middle of the field.

The capital of the Tang dynasty, Chang’an was filled with Cuju courts, in the backyards of large houses, and some were even set up in the palace grounds.

Soldiers belonging to the imperial army and the Golden Bird Guard often formed Cuju teams to please the emperor and his court. Not only men, but women also played Cuju.

Cuju even became popular among scholars and intellectuals, and if a courtier did not have the skills in the game of Cuju, he would offer himself to act as a scorekeeper.

Song dynasty

Cuju developed further during the Song dynasty due to social and economic developments, expanding its popularity to every class in society.

At this time, professional Cuju players were popular, and the sport began to take on a commercial edge.

Professional Cuju players could be divided into: One was trained by and performed for the royal court and the other consisted of civilians who made their living as Cuju players.

During this period only a single goalpost was installed in the center of the field.

Ming dynasty

Cuju began to decline during the Ming dynasty due to neglect, and the 2,000-year-old sport slowly faded away.

Ball

The ball used in Cuju was originally made of two pieces of leather sewn together and stuffed with feathers.

As the manufacturing process improved, a ball was developed that had up to 12 pieces of leather. The leather was precisely sewn together, covered the bladder of an inflatable animal, and weighed about 560 grams (for comparison, a modern football weighs about 430 grams).

This technological change revolutionized the game, allowing the ball to bounce higher and freer, greatly increasing the range of skills that could be used.