Wrestling is the most common sport for mankind. Chinese-style wrestling, which is commonly carried out around the world, was developed by integrating the strengths of wrestling from various ethnic groups in Chinese history. It is closely related to judo, sumo, Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Sambo. It is also known as the six major wrestling species in the world.
Chinese wrestling has a long history, a unique technical style and strict competition rules. Chinese wrestling embodies the civilization and moral concepts of the Chinese nation and shines with the brilliance of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation; Chinese wrestling has the function of cultivating good will and quality, has the function of strengthening the body, and has the value of self-defense. The phenomenon of using force to fight is common in Chinese wrestling, which is a manifestation of the deep-rooted Chinese traditional culture. Unlike other types of wrestling, most of which require brute force.
Chinese wrestling is only a form of Chinese wrestling, and this name only has a history of 50 years. According to official records: "When Xuanyuan was first established, there were seventy-two Chiyou brothers, with bronze heads and iron arms, who ate iron stones. Xuanyuan punished them in the wilderness of Zhuolu." "Bronze-headed milling arms" refers to wearing a Horned mask, win with head and throw. Therefore, wrestling was once called "corner gong" in China.
In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were new developments. In the pre-Qin period, it was called "wrestling", and the competition in the Spring and Autumn Period was used to recruit talents. The princes and officials also used wrestling to test the martial arts abilities of their generals. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were disputes between princes and frequent wars. Military training and martial arts activities received widespread attention and rapid development in the army and civilians. Wrestling gradually became popular in military training. At the same time, wrestling, as a tool for physical exercise and cultural entertainment, became a popular choice among people. Enjoy the sporting events and entertainment for holiday celebrations. After Qin, China became a unified feudal country. In order to reflect the characteristics of the great unification of the Qin Dynasty, Qin officially named the wrestling of the previous dynasty "Jiaodian". Scholars of the Eastern Han Dynasty Ying Shao interpreted it as: "The horn is the skill of horning; the thrust is the conflict." Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, horn thrust, hand fighting, fencing, etc. have become popular.
Jiaohei has become one of the compulsory training subjects for soldiers in the army. Due to the continuous improvement of weapons and the advancement of military technology, wrestling's status in military training has been reduced, and it has gradually become a competitive activity and entertainment activity. This is a big change. The Han Dynasty held large-scale wrestling competitions in the capital every spring and autumn. People from within three hundred miles came to watch, which was very lively. Cao Cao included it into the first hundred plays. The 70th chapter of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" "The fierce Zhang Fei outsmarts Wakou Pass" writes: Zhang Lin said: "Zhang Fei bullied me too much. He sent an order to wait and see. He saw Zhang Fei sitting under the tent drinking, and ordered two young soldiers to perform sumo wrestling in front of him. . "Jiao Dianxi was quite popular in the Western Han Dynasty. This is a new situation that has emerged with the development of agricultural, commercial and handicraft industries and the general improvement of national living standards. The emperors paid attention to the enjoyment of life and entertainment, and used Jiaodian Opera as a representative of Han culture to entertain foreign guests and perform at palace banquets. The Wei, Jin and Northern Dynasties were a period of cultural integration. During the scholar-bureaucrat period, wrestling had a low status, but it was still included in hundreds of operas.
The word "sumo", which is synonymous with wrestling, appeared during the Northern Wei Dynasty and women's wrestling appeared. It began to be used for military training during the Warring States Period. The Qin Dynasty continued to vigorously promote wrestling as the main item in martial arts, and the Han Dynasty included it in the Hundred Operas, but it was soon discontinued, which illustrates the great reversal in the development of wrestling. Since then, the arts and competitions have gone their separate ways. Arts and crafts are mainly performed in the palace, and competitions are mostly held in the army and among the people. After men's horning, women's horning emerged in the court for the entertainment of emperors, queens, princes and ministers. Men also shoulder the special political mission of guarding, banqueting, and entertaining guests
. In the Sui Dynasty, Jiaodian opera had new development. According to the "Book of the Sui Dynasty": "The common people in the counties and cities started to play the Jiao Dui opera on the 15th day of the first lunar month." It is also recorded that in the sixth year of the Daye, Ding Chou performed the Jiao Dui opera on Duanmen Street, and gathered all the strange skills and abilities in the world. In the early years of the Sui Dynasty, jiaodong activities developed rapidly, and jiaodong exercises were held in the palace and folk festivals. This caused criticism from some people. Some people thought it was corrupting customs and wasting money, so they issued a ban. However, as a popular activity for people in Guangxiang to celebrate harvests and festivals, wrestling eventually returned to the people and spread. Feudal rulers such as Qin II, Emperor Yang of Sui, Emperor Wu of Jin, the monarchs of Northern Qi and Hou Zhao, and the emperors Taiji, Kangxi, Qianlong and Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty all liked wrestling. According to historical records, Qin II was turned away even when Prime Minister Li Si asked to see him on state affairs because he was watching a wrestling match. The ruler's hobbies and advocacy also played a certain role in the widespread development of wrestling.
Tang culture, with strong national power as its support and vigorous secular intellectuals as its main body, showed a fearless, inclusive and open cultural atmosphere. At the same time, secular culture also blossomed across the country in a variety of colors. Many emperors in the Tang Dynasty were very fond of wrestling, and some even wrestled themselves. According to historical records, during the Five Dynasties, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Cunxu, was very good at wrestling and his level was very high. He claimed that whoever could beat him would be rewarded with an official position as governor. Because of the emperor's love, a "professional team" was established in the palace with specialized wrestling players. In the Tang Dynasty, these wrestlers belonged to the left and right Shence Army (i.e. the emperor's guard). The wrestler is called "Nei Dian", and he performs specially for the imperial banquet. Among the people, there are "Washi sumo wrestlers" who perform wrestling at market and temple fairs. Since the martial arts examination system was implemented in the Tang Dynasty, examinations were used to select brave talents, which promoted the development of wrestling. As a cultural form, wrestling had considerable influence at that time.
The names for wrestling in the Tang Dynasty were not only "Jiaodian" and "Sumo", they were also called "hand fights", "hand Zhang", "wrestling", etc. "The Book of Wrestling" written by Tiao Luzi of the Song Dynasty is the only book about wrestling that has been found in ancient times. In the Tang Dynasty, wrestling was called sumo, and sumo was different from wrestling. At that time, wrestling could cause people to be disabled or die. . Rulers love to watch wrestling and fighting to the death. There is a sumo wrestling organization in the court, which is called "sumo friends". There are alchemists who specialize in sumo wrestling in the army, and there are many sumo masters.
Since the Tang Dynasty, boxing has gradually emerged, so the Japanese still call boxing "Tang Hands". Compared with wrestling, it is small in scale and has a short history, but the rise and development of boxing It marks the separation of the two techniques of "hitting" and "throwing" in the ancient wrestling sport, and wrestling gradually develops in the direction of mainly throwing. In the Song Dynasty, there were "left and right armies", and sumo wrestling was divided into two categories: government and private. There was a fixed establishment in the palace, and the training was gradually improved. There is an internal equalizer in the palace, which belongs to the military chief department. There are sumo wrestlers and sword and stick players. They mainly focus on sumo wrestling. They are the highest level sumo wrestlers in the country. Their tasks are threefold: first, to provide entertainment for the emperor, concubines, and queens; second, to serve as palace banquets; and third, to serve as palace guards. Non-governmental martial arts training activities, with non-governmental associations as the main body, are booming, creating favorable conditions for non-governmental teaching, exchanges and development.
The seventy-fourth chapter of "Water Margin" describes Yan Qing's fighting and Optimus Prime's sumo wrestling, which gives a detailed and specific description of this kind of fighting and throwing competition. In the Song Dynasty, in addition to using sumo wrestling as a military and physical training for soldiers, it also served as an important entertainment program at palace banquets. At the imperial banquet, the two armies performed sumo wrestling. In the Song Dynasty, there were strict screening, examinations, selections, promotions, rewards, etc. for sumo wrestling. At that time, the palace had a special quota of 120 "inner class members". There were two generals each for custody, five pairs of superiors, eight pairs of inferiors, five pairs of sword and stick hands, and preparations. It should be selected and replaced every three years. In the sumo wrestling assessment at the palace, those with better skills will be rewarded with silver coins and have the opportunity to be promoted to serve as military leaders.
There were many folk sumo masters in the Song Dynasty. "Old Martial Arts" alone lists fifty-three people including Sai Guansuo, Dong Raoda, Dong Jikuai, and Wang Jikuai. They have superb sumo skills. Enjoy a high reputation in various competitions. There were already women's sumo wrestlers in the Northern Song Dynasty, and there were Sumo wrestlers in the Southern Song Dynasty among the people, with special training places. The most famous female sumo wrestlers at that time were Qi Sanniang, Hei Sijie and dozens of others. Yue Fei, the hero of the Southern Song Dynasty who fought against the Jin Dynasty, was good at sumo wrestling, and the Yue Family Sumo Wrestling remains are still passed down to this day.