Ancient China's Sport History

Swordplay
Swordplay was considered a graceful and
skilled sport. There were two main types of
swords used for this sport, recognised as the
Jian (broad/double-edged sword) and the
Dao (narrow sharp sword). In Ancient China,
using a sword was commonly carried for selfdefence and for military purposes.

Ancient football
First recorded 2000 years ago, 'Cuju' is the earliest
known form of football. The popularity of this sport
peaked during the Tang (618 C.E. - 907 C.E.) and
Song (960 C.E. - 1279 C.E.) Dynasties. A "ball" was
made of eight pieces of leather stitched together to
make a round shell or "ball". Inside the shell, it was
inflated by an installed, animal's bladder. Unlike
most football sports now, the goal was only one
single net in the middle of the playing field, made of
a bamboo net.

An Introduction
China's Sport - Topic 4
Sports in Ancient China were extremely rich and
unique in many ways, each dierent sport had
distinct features of their own. Ancient Chinese
sports preserved the arts into their sports
combining not only physical strength but inner,
mental exercises which was rarely seen in sports
practiced in other parts of the world.

Ancient China's
Sport - History
From KSC Student: Sandy Huynh 7E, Yellow group
Investigate, Dolphin Group Literacy, Keysborough
Banksia Secondary College

Archery
Particularly in the western Zhou Dynasty (1046
B.C. - 771 B.C.), archery was an essential part in
the education for a well established man. At 15
years old, young boys began learning archery
techniques which included being able to shoot
an arrow with enough force at a certain target
and shooting 3 arrows in succession.

Polo
Nobles in the Tang Dynasty (618 C.E. - 907C.E.)
enjoyed to hit a wooden ball with a stick on
horseback. Out of all the 19 emperors that ruled
during the Tang Dynasty, 11 were passionate fans of
this sport. Unfortunately, two emperors even died in
polo accidents! This sport was also actively
practiced by many Chinese women.

China's capital city, Beijing was the

host city for the 2008 Olympics.

of Emperor Mingzong
(1300 C.E. - 1329 C.E.)
Surprisingly, Chinese
playing the game, there
golf was very similar to
were 10 holes spread
the golf we know today. across the course with
Chinese golf was usually small flags in them. To
set in open country
earn a point, the wooden
landscapes and
balls had to simply be
according to a depiction putted into the holes with
the flags.

China has a long and complex history,

considering its isolation from the rest of
the world. Ancient China's history of
sport is just as detailed and interesting.

Chinese Golf

IceSkating
In Ancient China,
ice-skating was
used as a form of
transport for
warriors to move
throughout China.
Soon during the Qing Dynasty (1616 C.E. - 1911 C.E.), ice
skating became a traditional sport. Each winter, 200
proficient skaters would be selected to perform on the
frozen royal lake for the court. They would wear knee
pads, secure their shoes with leather straps and the shoes
would be fitted with a single iron blade (to skate) for speed
or with double blades for security. There were also
competitions for figure skating, ice acrobatics as well as
speed skating.

Continuing on...
This sport was most poplar during the Yuan and Song
Dynasties.
Glossary
Proficient - skilled in using or doing something.

Succession - the act of following or in a sequencing order

following one after the other.

Depiction - a representation of something or someone by

a drawing, painting or other means of art.

Well, what are you waiting for? Keep reading to learn

even more about this ancient civilisation's rich history
about sport.