A Study on Origin and Development of Ancient Chinese Cuju Yaqun Li, Xuezhi Ma
China Wushu School, Beijing Sport University
No. 48, Information Road, Haidian District, Beijing
Abstract
Cuju is an ancient Chinese football game and has influenced China for more than two thousand years as a traditional sport. Upon historical documents and archaeological materials, this paper sorts out the basis of origin and development of cuju in different historical periods from a diachronic dimension, and analyzes the evolution of cuju^s rules, forms, external communication with society development in different periods from a synchronic dimension. This paper argues that the origin and development of cuju is closely related to the social development. Cuju originated in Linzi of Qi State during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Cuju in the Han Dynasty became an important means of military training while direct confrontational cuju prevailed and gradually spread to the western regions with military activities. Cuju got prosperous in the Tang Dynasty and there were two kind of game forms: bare-foot practice and high-kicking practice. Meanwhile, cuju has been further spread in other regions of East Asian. Cuju reached its peak in the Song Dynasty. National-wide organizations, competitions and professional monographs appeared with non-confrontational single-goal cuju as the main form. Cuju in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties paid more attention to skill and entertainment. Cuju on ice was derived from the Qing Dynasty. After the middle of the Qing dynasty, with the gradual introduction of modern western football, traditional Chinese cuju was finally replaced.
Keywords: Ancient cuju- Origin- Development- Evolution- Coherence with society
Topic: Traditional sports and physical culture in Asia
