The origin of sports in china is related to the social, economic, political and
climatic conditions. In other words the factors like production, work, war and
entertainment of the space and time is important. Chna has been called the land
of martial arts and the competitive sports date back to Zhou Dynasty (1066 - 221
B.C.) with the kings granting audience to wrestlers or martial arts.
It was during the Qin, Han and the Three Kingdoms period (221 B.C.- 589A.D.)
dynasty that sports underwent considerable development in China. One gets the
details form the mural paintings, stone paintings, brick paintings and pottery
figures that express various sports. During the Tang dynasty various ball games
and woman's sports games emerged. But during the Song Dynasty (960- 1279) the
sports became popular and became a source of entertainment. There is a painting
depicting the Emperor Taizu kicking a ju (a leather ball filled with hair).
In the Yuan Dynasty (1279- 1368) some sort of golf was being played as shown
by the paintings. The people played by hitting the ball into a hole with a stick.
The Mongolian influence on the sports in China is in the form of archery,
wrestling and horse races. The Mongolians are known for their valiance.
The influx of modern sports in China started in the 20th century. At present
football and basketball are popular games in China. On the other hand the popular
amateur sports include table tennis, badminton, martial arts and various forms
of pool.
Hundreds of styles of martial arts have developed in China since two thousand
years. But they can be differentiated into few branches- Northern and Southern
Shaolin- style Wushu also the Buddhist, Daoist and Muslim styles. Football in
China was introduced in 1900s. The current Chinese Super League is the premier
football league in China.
The other games and sports in China that are popular is the basketball. The
Chinese Basketball Association is the premier league of People's Republic of
China.
China's sports have developed rapidly in the last 50 years. As the society
progressed and also with the growth in the economy recreational sports started
to spread in the society. Today about 300 million Chinese take part in sports
regularly. The Long March Sports Meeting for the aged held in 1978, the Chinese
Sports Association for the aged founded in 1983, different mass sports associations
and organizations like the Angling Association, Kite Association and Dragon
Association were established. In the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games athletes from
China won 26 medals out of the 94 medals.
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