Folk Sports

3 min read

The Chinese care about the health of their body as well as their mind.Sport is not only undertakenby professionals in grand competitions but also by ordinary men and women for daily recreation.For example，in bahe（tug of war），two teams pull at opposite ends of a rope until one team drags the other over a line on the ground.To win，a unified effort is perhaps more important than individual strength.

Tiaosheng（rope skipping）is a yard game popular in the Tang Dynasty.With just a rope，people have invented many ways to play and compete.You can skip by yourself or with another person；sometimes，two peopleswing a rope，while a team skips one by one.Moreover，you can jump on one foot，two feet or hop from one foot to another.Those with better skills can turn the rope two or three times in a single jump.Group rope skipping is very common.When the long rope is swung with cracks，the first person begins to skip before others joining one by one，and the air buzzes with excitement.Some extremelyskillful skipper can turn around freely or bend their knees to touch the ground while skipping.

Another popular activity is spinning tops，one of the ancient toys of the Chinese.

With one end tapered to a point，it seems unable to stand.But if you twine a piece of string around it and throw it out，it will spin on the ground.You can whip it when it slows down，making it continue its”dance.”

Children in the countryside often make their own tops and compete against each other.The one with the top thatspins the longest and steadiest will become the”chief，” respected by every other child.Some skillful children can make their top spin for minutes at one go.

A bamboo toy that developed from the top，kongzhu （diabolo），has axis，wheels and openings on the side tomake it whistle when spinning.While tops are whipped，diabolos must be”juggled.”A good player can make it dance vigorously on a piece of rope just like a violinist handling his bow.Practice makes perfect.It takes correct posture and the subtle use of one’s strength to play with the diabolo.Only those who are sensitive，dexterous，brave and careful can become good players.It is also a classic in traditional acrobatics.A master can do things as small as a lid of a teacup and as big as a round table board.As for the amateurs，diabolo is just a fun sport.In north China，its crystal-clear and melodious whistling can often be heard in winter and spring.

Shuttlecock（also known as featherball）is another popular sport in China.Besides a feather，the top can also be made from paper, cloth and plastic. There are usually four ways of kicking a shuttlecock, with the basic one called pan(kicking with the inner inside of your ankle), and the other three guai(kicking with the outer side of your ankle), ke(kicking with your knees) and beng (kicking with the tip of your foot). Shuttlecocks can be kicked alone, with one other or with several people. It does not matter how it’s kicked as long as it’s airborne. It is a good exercise, as players have to be quick of eye and deft of foot.