According to the records of Oracle Bone Inscriptions unearthed in Yin Ruins, China had football more than 1000 years ago. The earliest football was made of grass or wool, and it was called "water chestnut". Later, it was made of ripe skin, filled with hair, and renamed "Ju". Playing football, called "Cuju" or "Cuju" in ancient times, began in the Warring States Period. "Biography of Historical Records of Su Qin" said: "Linzi is very rich and real, and his people play pipa and piano, fighting cocks and running dogs." This vividly describes the colorful cultural activities of the residents of the capital of Qi at that time, including dancing. "Han Shu Literature and Art" said: "Cuju athletes are rumored to be the Yellow Emperor." If this "rumor" is true, then the ancient Yellow Emperor over 4,000 years ago was the first fan in China!
After the Warring States Period, cuju gradually became popular. Cuju players and fans are gradually increasing. Liu Bang, the father of Emperor Gaozu, liked this kind of football very much. According to historical records, he often plays football with the "butcher boy" in his hometown. High-impedance Liu Bang himself has a strong interest in Cuju. He not only likes playing football himself, but also likes watching games. Therefore, a large-scale "Cheng Ju" was built in the official garden. There is also a new Cuju book in his palace. Many dignitaries specially adopted cuju experts and built their own cuju courts. Lu Ji's Preface to Juge said that in the mansion of Ma Fang, the son of Fu Bo general Ma Yuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Cheng Ju lived in seclusion in the streets". Since the Western Han Dynasty, due to the evolution of the military system, a large number of infantry have appeared, and Cuju has also been valued as a means to train soldiers' physique and fighting will. "Don't record" also said: "Kicking the bow is also a military situation, so practicing samurai, knowing and knowing, is all practiced because of fighting." This reflects the actual situation of combining military training with competitive entertainment. Therefore, General History of Han Art and Literature and History classify Twenty-five Cuju Poems as "13 military skills".
Cuju was very active in the Han army, and the commander-in-chief took the lead in playing football. Everyone must play football from top to bottom. "Bielu" also said: "This army has nothing to do but play cuju." It shows that in relatively peaceful times, cuju is often played in the army. At that time, Cheng Ju, located in the official garden, was the place where the badminton team held a cuju competition and reviewed it regularly. The cuju venue of "three assistants leaving the palace" is also mainly used for military cuju. The so-called "Cheng Ju" is an arched door made of bricks at both ends of the stadium. And dig a round hole in the ground, called "lay man". 6 at each end. Kick the ball into "Cheng Ju" (or "Boulder") and score one point. This is the earliest goal. Even during the war, cuju was still a military sport. "Biography of General Wei in Historical Records" and "Biography of Huo Qubing in Hanshu" both recorded that when the Han army marched and camped outside the Great Wall, the commander-in-chief took the lead in "crossing the border to make a bow" to boost morale. Cuju was still very popular in the Three Kingdoms at the end of Han Dynasty. "Records of the Meeting" said: "The Three Kingdoms stand on their feet. In the year of revolution, scholars took bows and horses as their service, and the family took cuju as their study."
Regarding the competition methods and requirements of Cuju, it is described in Cheng Juming by Li You in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "The square wall is like yin and yang with a round bow; The law is equal to the month, and two or six are equal; Buildings are long and flat, and there are often examples; Don't be intimate, there is no personal; Peace of mind, don't blame it. " This paper comprehensively involves equipment, venues, team leaders, referees, competition rules, referees and athletes' moral style, etc. , reflecting the relatively complete rules and regulations of Cuju competition at that time. In the Tang Dynasty, it was invented that animal bladders (mostly pig bladders) were put in a ball as bladders and used as balloons after inflation. This clearly shows that China invented and used modern football as far back as 1200 years ago. In the Tang Dynasty, a goal with a net hung on two posts was also used, which was similar to the modern goal. "Balloon Fu" also describes the fierce scene of "competition"; The phrase "I just left with a pill, and the moon is full at a glance" is the scene of "dribbling" to kick the ball into the air.
Women's cuju in the Tang Dynasty didn't use the goal, which was called "beating in vain". In Wang Jian's Gong Ci, there is a saying that "a lady always eats cold food for nothing", which refers to a maid-in-waiting playing football.
Cuju was more popular in the Song Dynasty. Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi are his fans. "Song Taizu Cuju Map" shows that they play football with six people, including Zhao Pu and Shi Shouxin. It is vivid and wonderful. Evonne, from Song Huizong, especially likes watching cuju games. His two prime ministers, Li Bangyan and Gao Qiu, are both masters of cuju. Evonne stipulated that on any festive day, such as his birthday and the birthdays of 100 officials, the imperial team should play games to satisfy his eyes. At that time, there were also some cuju organizations among the people. "Dream of Tokyo" contains "lifting your eyes makes you smile skillfully on the swing, and touching the ground makes you crazy".
Cuju was played with two goals in the Song Dynasty, and some only used one goal. The two teams in the competition are called left and right armies, each with more than 10 people, including a team leader (captain) and two deputy team leaders (vice-captains), as well as names such as tossing head, holding head, left net, right net and scattered stand. The left and right armies wore red and blue brocade jackets respectively. At the beginning of the palace exhibition, the players from both sides appeared in the music. The player on the left side of the goal passed the ball first, and then passed it to the ball head when appropriate. The ball head immediately kicked the door hole on the shooting rack, and the winner scored. If the ball doesn't score, give it to the opponent to kick and shoot. According to this method, the shots are shot alternately, and finally the outcome is decided by the number of goals. The winning team will receive prizes, such as silver bowls, brocade and silk; The ball head of the losing team will be punished by whipping or smearing Huang Zi powder on the face.
Judging from the unearthed bronze mirror of Cuju in Song Dynasty, there was a Cuju activity that both men and women could participate in at that time and was not restricted by venues and equipment. Cuju developed again in the Ming Dynasty. All kinds of ball games were popular at that time. There is a picture of Zhu Zhanji watching Cuju in the long volume of Music and Music of Emperor Xuandi in Ming Dynasty. The concubines in the palace also like playing football, and there is an organization called Yun Qi Association. Women's cuju is also popular among the people. Hong Wushi, a folk woman Peng, is good at cuju. She is known as "a clear-headed woman". There are also many poems praising women's cuju, such as Yuan Hua's "Mr. He Tieya hits the bow" and Li Yu's "Beauty Ci", all of which vividly describe women's cuju.
Scholars often take cuju as their pleasure. Such as Wang Qi's "Three Stories" and Wang Yuncheng's "Cuju Atlas", there are images of Confucian scholars and Confucian scholars playing football. On some porcelains in Ming and Qing dynasties, there are still many scenes of children playing cuju.
Kite Kite was invented in China more than 2000 years ago. According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Lu Ban was inspired when he saw an eagle hovering in the air. He cut bamboo into an eagle and called it "Bamboo Eagle", which went to heaven for three days to spy on Song Cheng. Later, Mozi once made a kite out of wood, which could fly in the air. After the invention of paper, a lightweight "paper kite" appeared by replacing wood with paper.
In the Five Dynasties, Ye Li tied bagpipes to the heads of paper kites. "Taking bamboo as the flute, the wind enters bamboo, and the sound is like A Zheng, so it is called a kite." The kite is tied into a skeleton with fine bamboo, then pasted with tissue paper, tied with a long line, held by hand and lifted off by the wind. In the dead of night, Gao Pian, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, heard the sound of kites floating in the air and wrote such a poem: "In the dead of night, the sky is blue, and Lu Shang Jia Xinfeng. It's like a song, but it is blown by the wind. "
Kite kites pay attention to tying, pasting, drawing and flying. Tie, be symmetrical, and the left and right wind areas are equal; When pasting, make sure all are flat and clean; When painting, it is necessary to be far and near, and to be close to the truth; To release, you must be able to adjust the angle of the "lift line" according to the wind. There are many kinds of kites, including birds, animals, insects, fish and people. Mainly divided into "hard arms" and "soft wings" two categories. "Hard-armed" kites have hard wings, strong winds and fly high; "Soft-winged" kites are soft and can't fly high, but they can fly far. In the season of flying kites every year, in the blue sky, proud as a peacock, Pumbaa Spreading Wings, Butterfly Dance, Dragon Gate Fish Leaping, Fairy Scattering Flowers, Wukong Yun Teng and Liangshan 100 Single Eight Generals are all beautiful.
Tianjin Wei Yuantai (A.D. 1872 ~ 196 1) was called "Kite Wei". The kites he made are exquisite in craftsmanship, smooth in flight, bright in color and vivid in shape. In particular, he created a kite that can be folded, disassembled and easily carried, and its workmanship is extremely exquisite. Kite wings can be divided into 2 ~ 3 folds according to the length, and the tenons are tightly stitched, then tied with copper hoops and pasted with silk, which is a fine handicraft. He made kites with innovative design, and successively created exquisite products such as "Five Bats Holding Longevity", "Pine Crane Extending Longevity", "10,000-generation gourd", "Eight Immortals Celebrating Longevity" and "String Eight Immortals", as well as centipedes tens of feet long and insect birds one inch big, which can be used for flying games and hanging on the wall for viewing. His exquisite kite art has won the welcome of kite lovers at home and abroad. His kite won the gold medal at 19 14 Panama World Expo. At that time, it caused a sensation in Tianjin Wei, and the whole city contended that "Kite Wei" won glory for the country.
China's kites have a long history and excellent workmanship, and are exported to Japan, Southeast Asia and many countries in Europe and America. So far, flying kites is very popular in many countries in the world.