chinese culture: Juedixi -Ancient Chinese Gymnastics

Juedixi, an ancient form of gymnastics, became very popular in the middle of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24). A combination of ancient Chinese culture, art and sports, it corporated dances, music, acrobatics, conjuring and wrestling.

In 108 BC, the third year of the Yuanfeng Reign of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty, a juedixi performance was held in the capital of Chang' an, drawing spectators, men and women, young and old, from as far as 150 kilometres away. Such shows were often staged by the mperor in honour of foreign guests, contributing to cultural and sports exchanges between China and other' countries as well as among various ethnic groups at home.

Han Dynasty pictures inscribed on stones and bricks depict graceful and difficult gymnastic stunts such as standing on a single hand, hanging inverted on a horse cart or a high pole, and handstands on a tight rope.

chinese culture: weightlifting and Dancing

A great variety of contests of strength have been recorded in Chinese history books. As early as the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods (770 -221 BC), two forms of contest called "qiao guan" and "kang ding" had taken shape. "Qiao guan" was a kind of weightlifting in which "guan, "a heavy door bar, was lifted by a man grasping it by one end with a single hand. In "kang ding," a meat -cooking vessel, or "ding," was lifted by holding its two loop handles. "Kang ding" was most widely practised in the State of Qin, where a famous muscle man named Wuhuo reportedly lifted a vessel weighing 500 kilograms. Professional" kang ding" activities began to appear in the Han Dynasty (206 BC -AD 220), along with other forms of weightlifting such as pulling up a tree and lifting a deer. "Qiao guan" remained in vogue up till the Tang Dynasty (618 -907), but it was then no longer a contest of strength among imperial court warriors. Instead, it became a subject of cadet examinations, and door bars were replaced by weights that were made according to pre- scribed specifications. Stone objects weighing 100, 125 and 150 kilograms came into use in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644 -1911) dynasties. As stone objects were easy to make and popularize, weightlifting using stone locks and stone bars became a traditional sport among the populace.

In ancient times dancing was inseparably linked with sports. Even today there are certain similarities between the two.

Ancient Chinese dances were meant for both recreational and physical training purposes. according to historical records, the humid climate at the time of the Tribe of Yin Kang between 5000 and 4000 BC caused many people to suffer from atrophy and so dances were created to exercise joints and ward off disease.

Dances were performed as a rite in slave society. They prospered both in variety and style during the Western and Eastern Jin and the Southern and Northern dynasties (AC 265 -580), when highly difficult stunts such as the wrestler's bridge, split of the legs. and lifting of a partner were developed. These played an important part in the evolution of certain movements in some sports events which appeared in later periods, such as gymnastics and martial arts, The Sui and Tang Dynasties (581- 907) were the golden age of ancient dances. Some Tang dances were closely integrated with sports.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a kind of group dancing that was designed to perform various patterns on the floor. To the accompaniment of music, dancers moved around to form different Chinese character with auspicious meanings, in a way similar to group callisthenics of modern times.

chinese culture: Wrestling and Wushu

Chinese wrestling dates far back to very early times. It is said to have been used about five thousand years ago by the Chiyou tribes for training their soldiers. When China was unified by the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC, wrestling was adopted as an important exercise in military training. After the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties (AD 220- 589), wrestling gradually developed into a competitive, recreational sport.

In the Tang Dynasty (AD 618- 907) there were professional wrestlers and special platforms for wrestling contests in imperial palaces. By the Song Dynasty (960- 1279) professional wrestlers began to appear among the populace and platforms were erected for national contests. In the Qing Dynasty (1644- 1911) there was a battalion of professional wrestlers called Shan Pu Ying whose members performed at all important banquets.

There were many different styles of wrestling in ancient China, with a great variety of names as well. This may be seen from the images recorded in cultural relics of different! periods. Lacquer paintings unearthed in Hubei Province and murals on the ancient tombs at Donggou, Jilin Province, show pictures of two naked men locked in wrestling resembling modern Japanese sumo. Pictures on bronze articles unearthed at Keshengzhuang, Shanxi Province, show a variety of wrestling skills such as catching, holding, tumbling, tripping, throwing and rolling, which can be seen in modern Chinese-style wrestling.

Wushu, with its mysterious Oriental flavour, is regarded as the quintessence of physical culture. Often referred to as "arts of fighting with eighteen kinds of weapons," it is distinguished by three salient features: usefulness for combat, benefits to health, and fascinating movements.

Wushu dates back to primitive society where people used clubs and other primitive tools to fight wild animals. In the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods (770- 221 BC), wushu became more combative in nature as more weapons came into use. It also attracted more attention with its beneficial effects on health. Wushu contests and performances were popular in the Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC-AD 220). The sword dances performed by Xiang Bo and Xiang Zhuang at "A Banquet at Hongmen Gate" as described by Sima Oian in his Historical Records were actually a show of attack and defence in swordplay. The imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty (618- 907) for identifying martial arts talent stimulated the growth of wushu activities in society. By the Ming Dynasty ( 1368-1644 ), many schools of wushu, each with its own distinctive features, had developed across the country. One of these was the Shaolin school, which owes its name to the world-famous Shaolin Temple in Henan Province.

chinese culture: Polo and Cuju (Ball-Kicking)

Polo, also called "jiju" in ancient times, was most popular in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). All the 16 monarchs from Emperor Zhongzong who took power in the year 705 to Emperor Zhaozong who ascended the throne in 889 were polo enthusiasts. Some of them were even highly skilled players. Many high-ranking officials had luxurious polo fields in their own gardens. Measuring 1, 000 paces long and 100 paces wide, the field was sprayed allover with oil to prevent the galloping horses from kicking up dust. There were also many polo lovers among scholar. According to historical records, a polo match at the Moon- light Chamber was one of the gala events for celebrating success in the highest imperial examination. Being favoured by emperors, nobles and scholars, polo became a fashion in those days.

Polo also served as a military exercise in the army. All prefectural governors had standard polo fields for training troops. The use of polo for military training lasted for many generations, and the game was always played in reviewing troops. It was not until the Oing Dynasty ( 1644-1911) that polo gradually declined in popularity.

Cuju, or "ball-kicking," was an ancient Chinese game similar to present- day football. It has a recorded history of more than 2,500 years. A book titled" Twenty-Five Articles on Cuju" was written during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), when the game was played by teams on fields equipped with goals, the matches being supervised by judges following prescribed rules. Methods of play underwent great changes in the Tang Dynasty! ( 618-907 ). Players of the two opposing sides did not come into contact with each other, but were separated by a net about a dozen metres high, on the top of which was a round goal about one third of a metre in diameter. The side which scored more goals was the winner. The ball was made of eight pieces of smooth hide sewn together. Inflated with an animal bladder, it could be kicked to a height of a dozen metres.

In the Song Dynasty (960-1127), cuju was often presented as a performing art. The players, juggling the ball with all parts of the body except the hands, performed scores of stunts at a stretch without letting the ball fall on the ground. Many cuju performers appeared and formed their own society --Oi Yun She. Books on the game were published, but only three titles have been handed down to this day.

Women were also involved in cuju during the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties. Some were professional performers. The game gradually declined in the mid-Oing Dynasty (1644-1911).

chinese culture: Swimming and Dragon Boat Racing

The word "swimming" can be found in a verse in the" Book of Songs, " Chinese earliest collection of poems. It reflects the practice of the sport in ancient times. Ancients swimming against swift currents are also described in books of the pre-Qin periods (prior to 221 BC). Swimmers are seen in an amphibious battle vividly portrayed in the designs of an unearthed bronze pot of the Warring States period (475-221 BC). Four women frolicking in the water are pictured in one mural of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-534) in the grottoes of Dunhuang.

The superb swimming skills in ancient China were best demonstrated at aquatic meets on the Oiantang River in Zhejiang Province. Historical records have it that on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month every year, when high tides surged forward with the momentum of an avalanche at the mouth of the Oiantang River, local young people would swim against the mighty waves, some holding up coloured flags while" bobbing and swirling ahead with a hundred strokes, " some standing on small boats and manoeuvring their way through the mounting waves with perfect ease. This was what was called "playing with the tides. "

With abundant rivers and lakes, China boasts many good swimmers. Even today old swimming styles like "goupashi" (dog paddle), "zhamengzi" (head-long diving) and "biandanfu" (treading water) are still quite popular among the people.

As a traditional activity, dragon boat racing has retained its popularity to this day, especially in regions to the south of the Yangtze River. Legend has it that Qu Yuan (c 340-278 BC), a great poet of the Warring States period, was drowned in the Miluo River in Hunan Province on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month before the local people rushed to the scene by boat in an effort to rescue him. Since then, dragon boat races have been held on that day every year to commemorate Qu Yuan's death.

Dragon boat races were held on a large scale in the Tang Dynasty (618- 907). On such an occasion, a dozen boats went off like so many shots at the starting order, each striving to outpace the other amid the beating of drums on the vessels and cheers of onlookers on the banks.

Emperors of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) made it a rule to watch dragon boat races when they reviewed their water-borne troops. The winners were not only given handsome awards but gained high fame.

chinese culture: The Buda Game of the Tang and Song Dynasties

Buda was a ball game which was almost as popular as polo in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Called "chuiwan" (ball-beating) in the Liao and Jin dynasties (916-1234), it is driven with a stick to holes on the ground in very much the same way as the modern game of golf. It was a favourite diversion with palace the maids, who liked to play it on the Hanshi Festival (one day before the 5th solar term of Prue Brightness) .

The game developed into a competitive sport in the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368). A monograph on the ball game, written in the early Yuan Dynasty, describes in detail the specifications of the playing field and apparatus as well as the playing rules of Buda. The game gained even greater popularity in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), especially among young people in cities. Scenes of Buda play are depicted in the scroll painting "Ming Dynasty Emperor Xuan Zong in Merrymaking " and the traditional Chinese painting of beautiful women done by Ming Dynasty painter Du Dong, both of which are now kept in Beijing' s Palace Museum. By the Oing Dynasty ( 1644-1911 ), however. the game was rarely played.

Games on Ice
IN ancient China, games on ice and snow were quite popular in the northern parts of the country. History books say that people of the Nanshiwei ethnic group living near the Changbai Mountains "rode on wooden boards and sped over the ice, often for hundreds of paces at a stretch."

Nurhachi (1559-1626), father of the first emperor of the Oing Dynasty ( 1644-1911), he had skating included in his military training programme when he set up the state of Jin in his native place in northeast China. After occupying areas to the south of the Shanhaiguan Pass, he made it a rule to review his troops on skates.

During the Oing Dynasty, big sports meets on ice were held around Winter Solstice (22nd solar term) every year in the Taiyi Pool (present-day Beihai Park and Zhongnanhai Lake in Beijing). Three kinds of games were contested: First, speed skating which involved 1, 000-odd contestants skating over a certain distance in given postures; second, figure skating in which the skaters performed highy difficult stunts on the ice; and third, kicking a ball on ice, contested by dozens of people divided into two sides.

In addition to the games on ice played in the imperial palace, skating of various descriptions was also popular among the folks in northern China.

According to historical records, boots with skates were already in use at that time. "Those gliding over the ice wore boots with sharp iron blades underneath. They sped off like shooting stars or lightning, vying to be the first to come home. "

Introduction to China Doping Control Center

China has established and gradually perfected a unified anti-doping administrative system, providing the work of anti-doping with a forceful organizational support .The Chinese government department in charge of physical culture and sports leads, coordinates and supervises the work; the Chinese Olympic Committee organizes moves and implements the plans; the national sports associations take part in the moves and each takes charge of its field. They constitute the basic frame of China's present anti-doping administrative system.



The main responsibilities of the State Sport General Administration include: formulating major principles, policies and measures for the anti-doping work throughout the nation according to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Physical Culture and Sports; reviewing and approving the long-term Program and annual plans for nation-wide anti-doping work carried out by all the provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, the People's Liberation Army sport association and various national sports associations.



The Chinese Olympic Committee officially set up its Anti-Doping Commission in July 1992. The main responsibilities of the anti-Doping Commission are: formulating the specific policy and measure for the national anti-doping work according to the relevant regulations of the State Sport General Administration and International Federations; making the national doping control program and work plan; implementing the national doping control program; organizing the publicity, education research and international cooperation in the anti-doping field; guiding coordinating and monitoring the anti-doping work of the national sports associations.



The Commission has an Administrative Office and a Testing Section. The Administrative Office is responsible for the harmonization and policy research. The Testing Section is responsible for carrying out the doping control tests and developing anti-doping education project.



The China Doping Control Center (hereafter referred as CDCC), which was set up in 1989 has pass the IOC re-accreditiation for 12 years consecutively. CDCC is responsible for the urine sample analysis and the research of detecting methods.



China Doping Control Center (CDCC) is located in the National Olympic Sport Center, only a few minutes walking to the main stadium, the swimming stadium and the badminton stadium, 1 kilometers to the southeast of the under-planning Olympic Village. With such convenient traffic privilege, it takes only 5 minutes by driving from the Olympic village to CDCC.



CDCC passed the IOC accreditation examination first time in1989 and up to 2000 it has been the only testing laboratory, which has been reaccredited consecutively for 12 years in Asia. In November 2000 CDCC received the certificate of ISO/IEC Guide 25 from the China National Accreditation Committee for Laboratory. It's said that 11 IOC-accredited laboratories received a warning for not finishing the certificate of ISO/IEC Guide 25 and were required to complete the work before May 1, 2001. Otherwise, they would face the punishment of dephasement. Facts proved that CDCC had been always satisfied requirements of the IOC regarding the doping test. Recently, CDCC has signed a new contract with the world Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), agreeing to undertake out-of-competition sample analysis for the Agency.



CDCC has always attached great importance to scientific research in view of improving the test ability of the laboratory. It also developed a number of international research cooperation programs in order to keep up with the latest development of doping test in the world. CDCC received the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1992. Almost every year CDCC will carry out some international cooperation projects. The published research papers were well accepted by the science circle. It cooperated with the Spanish laboratory making a survey on the T/E ratio distribution and reaction to the use of testosterone between Asian and European people. In the cooperation with the Norwegian laboratory a research study on the variation of 19-non-androsterone of Asian and European female athletes during the menstruation was carried out, which further confirm the criteria of androsterone positive set by the IOC. In the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games, CDCC collaborated with the Australia Sport Drug Testing Laboratory on the EPO research project with the conduction of blood testing and received broad appraisement. Ms.Hon.Jackie Kelly, Australian Minister for Sport and Tourism, forwarded a letter to CDCC on behalf of the Australian Government, extending congratulations and high appreciation for its part in the research project.



There are totally 16 research staff at CDCC, most of them obtain doctor or master degree and graduated from the Chemistry Department of the Beijing University and the Pharmacy Department of the Being University of Medical Science. The majority has more than 5 years experience in doping test. According to the classes of prohibited substances set in the Olympic Movement Anti-Doping Code, the work staff are divided into 5 groups headed by an experienced research fellow with good education background. CDCC has published several papers about doping test on various major academic publications and conferences.



Experts at CDCC hole positions at various major sport organizations and academic bodies. Dr. Yang Tianle, the former director general of the National Research Institute of Sports Medicine has been a member of the IOCMC since 1988 and Asian Olympic Council Medical Committee (AOCMC). Recently he was elected as first Vice President of China Sports Science Society, President of China Sports Medicine Association. Professor Zhang Changjiu, now director general of the Research Institute and former manager of CDCC is acting as Chairman of Doping Commission, Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM) and Vice-Chairman of Organic Analysis Chemistry Association of China Chemistry Society. Dr. Wu Moutian, manager of CDCC now is a member of IOCMC and Doping Review Board of FINA. Since the Albertvil Winter Olympic Games, Dr. Yang Tianle has been taking part in the doping control supervision work for IOCMC for 6 Summer and Winter Olympic Games. CDCC has undertaken the doping test for various international comprehensive sport events such as the 11th Beijing Asian Games, the 3rd Harbin Asian Winter Games and 1st Shanghai East Asian Games. So in terms of doping test and the handling of positive cases in accordance with relevant rules of IOC, CDCC has obtained adequate and rich experience.



At present CDCC can test 3500 athletes urine samples and about 1200 urine samples of the volunteers for the nutritional products from the National Health Ministry every year. The other key items on the agenda include the IOC annual re-accreditation and proficiency examination and the quality control from sports organizations home and abroad. All the routine test instruments including HRMS and IRMS have been installed at CDCC. All the tests will be carried out strictly according to the requirements of IOCMC and ISO/IEC Guide 25. Undoubtedly the staff and equipment at present stage are far from adequate for undertaking the great test burden during the Olympic Games. But if Beijing succeeded in the bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games, we are determined to organize the doping test with better performance than Sydney did. Since we all know that science and technology are developing so rapidly today. For example, the application of HRMS increased the test sensitivity by 10 times. The original concentration limit is 10ng/ml and now the value is lowered to below 2ng/ml. With IRMS we can determine the reasons for high endogenous steroid concentration or ratio directly, that is to say to distinguish whether it's endogenously produced or it dues to the use of endogenous products. Although the IOCMC has confirmed the HRMS and IRMS as official detecting methods, so far not every IOC-accredited laboratory has mastered the technology for the two instruments.



Under the current condition CDCC can handle 60 urine samples per day. During the important sport events reporting of negative cases within 24 hours and positive cases within 48 hours and B sample analysis can be basically guaranteed. Researchers at CDCC are capable of attending hearings at the invitation to provide scientific evidence home and abroad.



The Testing Section of Chinese Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Commission was set up in 1995 with the responsibility for drafting and implementing the National Doping Control Program including in and out-of competition test. So far the Testing Section has undertaken the doping control for many comprehensive national and inter-national sports events. From the statistics in the following Table, we can see the Testing Section is an effective doping control organization with rich experience. There are 4 full-time work staff at the section and 91 part-time Doping Control Officers (DCOs). All the DCOs must undergo professional training and performance assessment every year and divided into three categories according to their ability and experience.

Besides this, the Testing Section is also responsible for the anti-doping education and publicity work especially the education toward the athletes, coaches and team doctors. In recent years many anti-doping education manual books and brochures were compiled and published and training courses organized. The Chinese Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Commission has signed Memorandum of Understanding in anti-doping field and bilateral test agreements with Norway, Australia and Sweden. Currently a new cooperation project with Norway was being with the requirements of the International Standard for Doping Control (ISDC) and the ISO 9001:2000 standard.

28th Olympic Games: Athens 2004

Date: 13 August - 29 August 2004
NOCs: 202
Venue: 38
Athletes: 11,099
Team officials: 5,500
Sports: 28
Events: 300
Media: 21,500 (16,000 broadcasters, including AOB, and 5,500 photo/written press members)
Security personnel: 45,000 (25,000 police, 7,000 military, 3,000 coast guards, 1,500 fire-fighters, 3,500 private security contractors and 5,000 trained volunteers)

From August 13 to 29, 2004, a total of 11,099 athletes from 202 countries and regions across the world took part in the 28th Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Greece, the country where these Games were originally born and the city where they revived.

For the first time the Olympic flame travelled to all continents. Shot Put was held in ancient Olympia and women competed there for the first time. As many as four billion viewers all over the world watched these Games.

In Athens, 235 Chinese athletes qualified for the finals in 107 events of 23 sports; 83 of them set six world records and 17 Olympic marks and won 32 gold, 17 silver and 14 bronze medals in 55 events of 18 sports, helping China rank second only to the United States (35-39-29) in the final medal standings.

China maintained its dominance in such sports as diving, shooting, table tennis, badminton and weightlifting. Chinese athletes made impressive progress in fencing and women's cycling, wrestling and archery. Moreover, major breakthroughs were made in track and field, swimming, rowing and canoeing.

In the pool, 20-year-old world champion Luo Xuejuan proved her prowess once again in the women's 100m breaststroke when she won the event with a convincing time of 1:06.64 at Athens' Olympic Aquatic Centre.

Hurdler Liu Xiang from Shanghai made history in the Greek capital when he struck gold in the men's 110m hurdles final in a world record-equalling time of 12.91secs. His woman compatriot Xing Huina followed suit in the women's 10,000m by beating a number of world ace runners, including Ethiopia's Ejegayehu Dibaba and double Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, to win the title.

Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun demonstrated perfect teamwork in the men's C2 500m canoe, while another Chinese pair Li Ting and Sun Tiantian won China's first gold medal in the women's doubles in tennis.

Special mention should also be made of the Chinese women's volleyball team which, by regaining the Olympic title after 20 years' hard efforts, was cited as a good example of fighting spirit and high moral.

The remarkable achievements made by the Chinese Olympians in Athens has greatly boosted the confidence of the Chinese sports community and helped laid down a solid foundation for sustainable development and further improvement of the nation's overall strength in competitive sports, particularly in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.