Sports began to develop from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In the Tang Dynasty, there was unprecedented prosperity and it became the golden age of sports. Whether it is royalty, ordinary people, or even military soldiers, sports have become an important part of social life in the Tang Dynasty.

1, cuju

The bow used in cuju can be traced back to the stone ball. Shiqiu was first unearthed in Ding Cun cultural site about 10 million years ago, and a large number of Xu Jiayao cultural sites appeared about 40 thousand years ago. Stone balls were originally used as hunting tools. In the late primitive society, stone balls kicked by feet and hollow pottery balls appeared. The legend of Cuju was written by the Yellow Emperor: "Cuju is said to have been made by the Yellow Emperor (recorded by Liu Xiang)". The Ming Dynasty's "Taiping Huaqing" also recorded that "stepping on the bow began after the porch, and the martial arts dramas in the army took leather as the yuan capsule, and they actually took hair." In other words, cuju began in the Yellow Emperor and was used for military training. The bow is made of leather, round and filled with hair. It is recorded in the Silk Book of the Warring States that after the Yellow Emperor killed Chiyou, he "filled his belly with a bow, so that people can hold it, and many people will be rewarded".

In the Tang Dynasty, cuju was further developed, and there were more ways to play it, including single goal and no goal. Moreover, the Cold Food Festival (an ancient festival, one or two days before Tomb-Sweeping Day) almost became the "legal football day" in the Tang Dynasty. Wang Wei said in the poem "Cold Food in the East of the City": "Cuju flies over birds many times, and the swing competes for weeping willows."

In the Tang Dynasty, from the courtiers of the emperor to the ordinary people of the Ming Dynasty, the figure of Cuju can be seen everywhere, whether it is court banquets or folk leisure, and even the scene of "the ball does not stand firm, the ball does not leave, the Huating watches the battle, and thousands of people pay tribute" often appears.

Step 2 step on the song

Yangko dance is an ancient dance form, which originated from the folk. It rose in the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago and became more popular in the Tang Dynasty. In ancient times, people got together to sing and dance after work to adjust their tired body and mind.

The name and popularity of "Ta Ge" began in the Tang Dynasty, and large-scale Ta Ge activities were held every Shangyuan and other festivals. For example, on the 15th day of the first month of the second year of congenital (7 13), more than 1,000 people participated in a song-stepping activity in Tang Ruizong, and people sang songs for three days and three nights under the lantern wheel. Zhang Hu's "Night Lights on the fifteenth day of the first month" also said: "Thousands of doors are open and all lights are on. In the middle of the first month, the Imperial Capital will move. Three hundred wives danced in sleeves and wrote the sky for a while. "

In the Tang dynasty, people loved to step on songs, because this kind of dance was not limited by the venue and the number of people. On various occasions, they can get together at any time, dance hand in hand with songs and express their feelings. During the lively period, hundreds and thousands of people sang all night and even "stepped on the song" for several days, which was enjoyable. "Stay in Taohua Village overnight, knocking songs to welcome the dawn" reflects the cheerful scene of rural villagers singing all night.

3. Tug of War

Tug of war has a long history in China. Tug-of-war activities existed as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but it was not called tug-of-war at that time, but called "hook strength" or "pull hook", which later evolved into a popular "hook play" in Jingchu area.

Tug of war was originally a middle school training method in the army. In the Tang Dynasty, due to the emperor's advocacy, tug-of-war became more popular among the people. Tug-of-war is held on the fifteenth day of the first month every year to further standardize it. "The Book of the New Tang Dynasty" contains: "The six armies are all cities, the rich sell and eat the meat of the beam, and the strong fight for the tug of war." Feng Shiwen Ji Jian, a seal cutting performance in the Tang Dynasty, records: "Tug of war, called pulling a hook in ancient times, is a custom in Xiang Han, and it is often observed in the first month of the month." It shows that tug-of-war was officially named in the Tang Dynasty, and it has become a widely popular "custom" activity. People usually hold a grand tug-of-war on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month every year.

On one occasion, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty held a tug-of-war competition, with thousands of people taking part, and specially invited envoys from various countries to watch it. After the tug-of-war of thousands of people began, the drums were loud and thunderous. Onlookers and foreign envoys were frightened. Scholar Xue Sheng was also excited by this atmosphere and wrote a tug-of-war poem, which recorded the magnificent scene at that time.

More than a thousand people tug-of-war, military commanders beat drums, civil servants judged, and the brave men of both sides tried their best to stalemate. The fields were dusty and officials forgot the food on the table. The soldiers cheered and thundered, and the Xiongnu envoys who watched the battle bowed in fear and said, "If you are a hero, the country will die."