In the long ancient society, game activities emerged in endlessly, each with its own characteristics and methods. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a more systematic classification of them. Starting from the nature and function of games, we divide ancient Chinese game activities into several types such as wrestling, competition, fighting of wits, guessing and shooting, and gambling.
Wrestling game is a relatively primitive game method. Its main feature is to determine the winner through the competition and contest of players' strength, so as to obtain a kind of spiritual pleasure. Wrestling games have a very close relationship with basic human physiological movements. Under the desire of the human body to continuously move, people will satisfy this desire through a kind of energy release, so a wrestling game is born. In ancient China, wrestling, sumo wrestling, etc. are all typical wrestling games.
The origin of the horn can be traced back to ancient times. According to "Shu Yi Ji", in ancient times, the Chiyou people had horns on their heads and swords and halberds beside their ears and temples. When they fought with the Yellow Emperor, they used the horns on their heads to attack people, which made it difficult for the enemy to defend themselves. This so-called "fighting with horns" is actually a kind of wrestling activity similar to current wrestling and boxing. They are mainly a kind of strength contest, and the winner is determined through very simple human body fighting.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, jousting activities were very popular, but at that time jousting was no longer a means of fighting, but became a game activity with a certain performance component. According to records in ancient books: "Qin conquered the world, stopped talking about military etiquette, and became Jiao Dui." Because Qin Shihuang was afraid that the people would rise up in rebellion, he stopped military etiquette and ceased military affairs, turning Jiao Dui into a game show for fun. .
During the Han Dynasty, horn-fighting activities were very popular, especially among the people in Jizhou, where this kind of game was often played: "The people there were in twos and threes, wearing animal horns on their heads to fight against each other, and it was called 'Chiyou Play.'" Judging from the fact that the horn fight is called "Chiyou Opera" in this record and the fact that makeup is required during the horn fight, it is obvious that the horn fight had become an entertaining game at that time. "Hanshu: The Chronicles of Emperor Wu" also contains records about the Jiaodian Opera. It is reported that the Jiaodian Opera was so grand in scale at that time that it caused a sensation in the capital. The common people would even travel hundreds of miles to watch and cheer. This shows that people at that time had a deep understanding of the Jiaodian Game. love.
In the Tang and Song Dynasties, Jiaodian Opera was even more popular in the court and the public, and its game color became more intense. At that time, it often appeared in the imperial court, government, army and civilian gatherings as a form of Baixi. etc. occasions. For example, "Old Book of Tang Dynasty·Jingzong Benji" quoted from "Tongkao Baixi Sanle" says: "Wrestling drama is a wrestling drama in which strong men compete naked to determine the winner. After each group's drama, the left and right armies beat big drums to lead the group. .
Sumo wrestling became sumo wrestling in the Song Dynasty. At that time, whenever there was a grand banquet in the court, sumo wrestlers were often invited to perform for fun among the people. Sumo wrestling is also very popular. Women usually come out to fight first, and then send out strong men to compete. The strongest sumo wrestler who is invincible in the world can receive the prize. Although it mainly depends on strength to defeat the opponent, sometimes it also requires certain skills. In the Dunhuang mural, there is a picture of sumo wrestling from the Five Dynasties period, which shows the image of two strong men competing on a square carpet. One of the sumo wrestlers puts one hand in front and the other behind, using a lunge to attack the opponent; the other person bends his arms, lowers his body, spins left and right, and waits for an opportunity to counterattack. Look for angles and timing, and pay great attention to skills and methods.
Tug-of-war in ancient China is also a wrestling game. It is said to have originated in the Chu State during the Spring and Autumn Period. "Fengshi Hearing and Seeing Record" says: "Tug of war was called a hook in ancient times. According to the custom of Xianghan, it is often done by looking at the sun in the first month. "The more primitive tug-of-war activity uses bamboo ropes as tools. Two teams of people stand on both sides of the bamboo ropes and draw a line in the middle. After an order is given, the two teams of people pull the bamboo ropes hard towards themselves until they reach the The other side pulls over the boundary line. During the tug-of-war, a big drum is played to encourage people. This game mainly relies on arm strength and requires the whole team to work together, so it is also a very typical game. A wrestling game. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the bamboo rope was changed to a large rope, with the rope about 50 feet long and hundreds of small ropes tied to both ends. This is recorded in detail in "Fengshi Wenjianlu": "(Tug of War). ) In ancient times, bamboo cables were used, but today they use large cables, 50 feet long, with hundreds of small ropes tied to the two ends and hung in front. Divide into two groups, draw two hooks at the same time, and in the middle of a big fight, set up a big flag as a boundary, beat the drums and make noise to pull each other, and the one who fails will be the loser. "In "Jinglong Wenguan Ji", there is also a record of a tug-of-war competition held in the palace of the Tang Dynasty. The plot is very interesting. It was the Qingming Festival in the fourth year of Jinglong (710), and Tang Zhongzong Li Xian ordered all civil and military officials to compete Tug-of-war competition. The waiter takes a hemp rope with more than ten small ropes tied to both ends. Each small rope can be pulled by several people. The royal relatives and civil and military ministers in the court are divided into east and west. The eastern team consisted of seven prime ministers and three princes-in-law, while the west team consisted of three civil servants and five generals. In the fierce competition, Wei Juyuan, a servant, and Tang Xiujing, a young master, were defeated because of their age. , was so weak that he was dragged to the ground by the rope and could not get up for a long time. His appearance was very embarrassing, which made Zhongzong and the civil and military ministers laugh.
It can be seen from this story that the tug-of-war game was often played in the court in the Tang Dynasty. It mainly involved the two parties competing on the rope to win or lose, and gained a kind of happiness and interest from it. Bird fighting
There is also a more special form of wrestling games, which is bird fighting. Fighting birds include fighting cocks, fighting ducks, fighting geese, fighting horses, fighting horses, fighting crickets, fighting birds, fighting fish, etc. Although this type of game does not involve people directly participating in the fighting, it is based on the fighting and wrestling between animals. It is a content-based game activity, so it is actually a wrestling game. The most common forms of animal fighting include cockfighting, bullfighting, cricket fighting, and bird fighting.
Cockfighting Chickens are very competitive. If you put two ferocious roosters together, they will fight and bite fiercely until one of them is defeated. The game of cockfighting in ancient my country took advantage of this habit of chickens. Cockfighting scenes are often extremely tragic, and are vividly described in some ancient poems. For example, Han Yu and Meng Jiao's poems about cockfighting in the Tang Dynasty said: "The cries are lost when the blood bursts. I am very hungry and discouraged when I peck at the cock. Why should I be frightened? I will follow the cunning and cunning." "When two chickens fight, they are inseparable and incompatible. After the fight, the cockscombs bleed and they can no longer crow." If two chickens fight each other for a long time and each looks tired, they should be sprayed with water to wake them up and cheer them up so that they can fight again.
What a fierce and cruel scene this is!