Cockfighting has a much longer history than other animal "fighting" in the world, and has been very popular during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Most of the folk games of cockfighting start from the Qingming Festival and end at the Summer Solstice. The earliest record of cockfighting in China can be found in "Zuo Zhuan": "When it comes to cockfighting in the season, the Ji family introduces the chickens, and the family members give them gold." The Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous era of cockfighting activities. It was not just private chicken farms and chicken fighting. , even the emperor wanted to fight cocks. According to the "Biography of the Dongcheng Elders" of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji was fond of cockfighting before he came to the throne. At that time, cockfighting was an important part of the Qingming Festival. After Li Longji became emperor, he built a chicken farm in the palace. "Thousands of Chang'an roosters with golden hair, iron spurs, high crowns and high tails were raised in the chicken farm." There were 500 people dedicated to taming chickens.
As a result, it works well. The rich spend all their money to buy chickens, while the poor make fun of fake chickens. There was a young man named Jia Chang in Chang'an. He had a way of taming chickens that won the favor of Emperor Xuanzong. He suddenly became rich and prosperous and became the world-famous "Chicken Magic Boy". In the Tang Dynasty, cockfighting and domestication were developed, but society paid a huge price for this.
Cockfighting makes people crazy, and also makes some "cockfighting boys" arrogant and arrogant. Li Bai said in his poem "Ancient Style": "When I meet a cockfighting man on the road, his crown is so brilliant. His breath is dry and rainbow, and all passers-by are wary." The style of cockfighting in the Ming Dynasty was on par with that of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, there was also a special study and a non-governmental organization that organizes cockfighting activities, called the "cockfighting club". In the Ming Dynasty, Mount Tai was one of the important places for cockfighting. During the Taishan Temple Fair, there was an endless stream of people coming to the cockfighting, and countless people watched and cheered.
To this day, cockfighting is still very popular in Shandong, Henan and other places. Cockfighting has always been a traditional folk entertainment, such as cricket fighting, which mainly takes advantage of the aggressiveness of roosters. Other poultry, such as geese, ducks and even quails, are also aggressive, but there is no such thing as this kind of cockfighting. The fighting spirit is more intense. Ordinary roosters are also aggressive. People in southwest my country and even the Nanyang Islands also domesticate some roosters for cockfighting fun, but this is not a fighting cock species mentioned here.
Cockfighting in our country has a long history. About 2,800 years ago, cockfighting had developed to a certain level. For example, "Liezi Huangdi Chapter" says: Ji Zhuzi raised fighting cocks for King Xuan of Zhou (829-782 BC) and trained them for forty days. "Looking at a chicken is like a wooden chicken, and no other chicken dares to respond." "Zhuangzi Dasheng Chapter" also says this. Although this is close to a fable, it can at least be proved by historical documents that training cockfighting has long been practiced in ancient times. Not only did cockfighting occur, but according to the record of the 25th year of Zhaogong's reign in "Zuo Zhuan": "Ji (Pingzi) and He (Zhaobo) fought cocks, Ji's family used mustard to fight their chickens, and Bo's family made golden spurs for them."< /p>
This refers to the cockfighting used by two feudal aristocrats of the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period to show their power. In order to win, their disciples did not hesitate to come up with the secret method of victory, as follows, "Zhuangzi Yi Pian" said: "The chickens in Yanggou are three-year-old chickens. Those who look at them regard them as not good chickens, but they can win people." If you do, apply raccoon paste on its head. "Yanggou may be the place where pheasants were produced in ancient times. Guo Pu noted: "Yanggou giant pheasants were good chickens in ancient times." Yanggou seems to be Yanggou.