Traditional games of China
Extinct games
Cuju
Cuju was an ancient Chinese game that is similar to association football.[3]
Traditional games
Variations of tag
Chicken vs eagle
In this game, one player is the eagle, another player is the chicken, and the remaining players are chicks. The chicks form a line behind the chicken by holding each other's waists, and the goal of the eagle is to tag the chicks, while the chicken tries to prevent this by holding their arms out and moving around. Throughout the game, the chicks must stay in the line formation, and if one of them is tagged, then they become the eagle.[5][6]
Catch the dragon's tail
All the players line up by holding each other's waists, with the player in the front known as the "dragon", and the player in the back known as the "tail". The goal of the dragon is to tag the tail, while all other players aim to prevent this by moving around. The players must stay in the line formation throughout the game, and once the dragon tags the tail, the players all move up one spot, with the former dragon now at the back of the line.[7][8]
Cat and mouse
All but two of the players form a circle around a player called the "mouse", with one player known as the "cat" staying outside of the circle. The encircling players rotate around the mouse for a certain amount of time, and once they stop, the cat tries to tag the mouse while both players run in and out of the circle, though the cat has to follow the exact path taken by the mouse.[9][7]
Martial arts
Board games
Gambling games
Boat racing
Dragon boat
Dragon boat racing is over 2,000 years old, with either 10 or 20 participants trying to row the dragon boat as fast as possible.[13]
Minority games
These games are played only by certain minority groups (ethnic or regional) in China.
Pearl ball
Pearl ball is a Manchu game which is similar to basketball. Six players from each team compete on a 28x15m court, with the goal of the offense being to shoot the ball into a small net held by one of their teammates, while some of the defenders have paddles they can use to deflect the ball away from the net.[14][15]
See also
References
- Vic-Liu (2019-07-22). "16 Unique Traditional Chinese Sports". Let's Chinese. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 2013-10-06. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-06. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- Barr, Adam. "History of Football: Cuju". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- Tang, Ching Yuet. "A guide to jianzi, a Chinese game with a shuttlecock (but no racket)". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- "Children's Day special: Do you remember these games?[1]- Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- "How To Play Eagle Catch Chick: An Outdoor Game Of Tag For Groups". Little Day Out. 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- "Chinese Historical & Cultural Project - Traditional Chinese Games". chcp.org. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- "Catching the dragon's tail". Stuff. 2014-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- "Here's What Recess Looks Like Around The World". Fatherly. 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
- Vincithevin (2022-11-23). "A Few Chinese Tabletop Games to Learn and Master". www.thebeijinger.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- "Chess returns to India". Chess News. 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- "History Of Pai Gow - Global Casino Guide". www.globalcasinoguide.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- "Dragon Boat". ICF - Planet Canoe. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
- "Young generations in Ningxia experience traditional ethnic sports - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
- "Pearl Ball: Manchu competition now enjoyed by varied players|game 2011|chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2022-11-25.