Cuju is a sport of hitting the ball with your feet. According to legend, it was first invented by the Yellow Emperor of China to train soldiers, and written records can be traced back to the Warring States Period. Most scholars believe that Cuju originated in Qi State (now Linzi, Shandong Province) during the Warring States Period, and was originally used for military training, and then evolved into a game. Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, famous soldiers in the Han Dynasty, also played cuju when they were stationed in the frontier. Cuju is also played in East Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
The earliest recorded ancient books of Cuju in China can be traced back to the Warring States policy during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. According to the Seven Strategies of the Warring States Policy, Linzi, Shandong Province, is "extremely rich and practical, and everyone plays the flute, plays the piano, beats chickens, walks the dog, plays six games and bows ..." The main reason for the popularity of Cuju in Qi is the fierce merger during the Warring States period, and urban residents have to join the army.
Cuju origin
The bow used in cuju can be traced back to the stone ball. Shiqiu was first unearthed in Ding Cun cultural site about 10 million years ago, and a large number of Xu Jiayao cultural sites appeared about 40 thousand years ago. Stone balls were originally used as hunting tools. In the late primitive society, stone balls kicked by feet and hollow pottery balls appeared. The legend of Cuju was written by the Yellow Emperor: "Cuju is said to have been made by the Yellow Emperor (recorded by Liu Xiang)".
The Ming Dynasty's "Taiping Huaqing" also recorded that "stepping on the bow began after the porch, and the martial arts dramas in the army took leather as the yuan capsule, and they actually took hair." In other words, cuju began in the Yellow Emperor and was used for military training. The bow is made of leather, round and filled with hair. It is recorded in the Silk Book of the Warring States that after the Yellow Emperor killed Chiyou, he "filled his belly with a bow, so that people can hold it, and many people will be rewarded".