介绍:
Football is popular around the world. But do you know who invented this great game? It was Chinese! China was actually the birthplace of football.
In ancient China, people were crazy for a sport, which was much like modern football. It was called Cuju, which means “kick the ball with foot”.
Cuju first appeared in the famous ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce (Strategies of the Warring States), which described Cuju as a form of entertainment among the general public. During the Han Dynasty, Cuju was commonly played in the army as a competitive sport for soldiers to take physical exercise. Later, the popularity of Cuju spread from the army to the royal courts and upper classes.
Women were also good Cuju players in ancient times. The earliest record of women players can also be traced back to the Han Dynasty.
Even some emperors were big fans of Cuju. For example, Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, set a rule that every year on his birthday day Cuju games would be held for him.
Gao Qiu, a government official in the Song Dynasty, was good at Cuju. For his excellent playing skills, Gao’s life changed and gained much fame in history.
As a way of national culture protection, Cuju has become one of China’s intangible cultural heritages.
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