Traditional Chinese Games - Part 2
Traditional Chinese Games (Zhōngguó chuántǒng yóuxì) - 中国传统游戏
Traditional games are derived from a combination of factors of survival values, beliefs, attitudes, and the natural environment. The ability to acquire and maintain the development of traditional games into societies are also thought to be contingent on the beliefs and attitudes of communities. Recently, China has proposed to protect their heritage of their traditional games. This in turn, has garnered much attention to scholars for research. Theories pertaining to questions around humans and the natural environment include the human-land relationship theory and survival values as survival depends on the relationship between humans and nature. Ensuring adaptability among humans to changing environments ensures survival of a people, cultures, and beliefs to be passed through the generations; hence reviving traditional games would support revival of a culture [1].
Long Rope Skip (Cháng shéng tiàoshéng) 长绳跳绳
Chinese jump rope is commonly known to be played with an elastic string that is held in a rectangular configuration around two player’s legs. The skipping players hop in and out of the rectangle following patterns of hopscotch with each turn. All players generally take their turns skipping and holding the rope before raising the height of the rope for successive turns of skipping Chants and rhyme also are sung to liven the game and are usually sung by girls during skipping [2].
Another game for skipping is to have three skipping together as the rope turns.
The long rope skip has 2 players at the ends of one long rope turning the rope and other players enter the rope for only one skip then they must exit quickly for the next player to come in for one skip and so on. This is usually done very quickly [4,5].
A good example of this is on https://youtu.be/BCuIMAv7xqU.
Games of skipping are rhythmic exercises that require coordination among players when more than one person in playing. Long rope skipping games requires attention to rhythm of movement sequences, spatial cognition of surrounding activity and players, with attention to sensation of rhythm, which has been found to enhance cognitive performance [3].
TaiChi Softball 太极柔力球
A Taiji Rouli Ball racquet is used for Tai Chi Softball. Players try to keep a Taiji Roue ball stationary on the racquet while demonstrating Tai Chi moves as smoothly as possible [4,5].
A good example is at: https://youtu.be/QBvEk5jQ9Bw.
Balancing a ball on a racquet while practicing Tai Chi movements requires sustained attention to keeping the ball stationary during movement. Visual feedback of hand-eye coordination with the ball, racquet and Tai Chi movements strengthens the use of working memory and cognitive processing while strengthening a coordination of movements [6].
“Tai Chi is often described as meditation in motion” [7]. The movements of Tai Chi are slow and deliberate and usually represent some animal movements, such as ‘white crane spreads its wings.’ During Tai Chi movements participants are encouraged to practice deep and natural breathing while focusing attention on sensations of the body [7]. Tai Chi movements require attention with updating and monitoring temporal sequences of fluid motion that is in line with sensory awareness. In elderly people, Tai Chi was found to enhance mental control, memory, fitness, cognition, and executive functions [8].
Land Dragon Boat (Hàndì lóngzhōu) 旱地龙舟
The legend of the dragon boat was derived from a senior official in Chu was slandered and forced to take his own life by jumping into the Miluo river on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. Great sorrow overcame the people of Chu who gathered to rescue this man using boats to rescue him. Since then, dragon boat racing has become a customary sporting event [9].
Archeologists have found a bronze drum of the Han Dynasty that revealed racing boat pictures. This drum was unearthed at Stone Village Mountain in Yunnan Province. On racing boats drums have been used to boost morale of racers [9].
Two teams of five people each will straddle the land dragon boats, race to the end come around their designated poles, then race back to the start line [4,5].
Sometimes coordination is difficult and there will be accidents. Extra exertion is necessary to straddle these boats and run them down a path, around a pole and back to the finishing line.
Traditionally, dragon boat races are on water, however in inland region of Northwest China’s Zinjiang Uygur Autonomous region, local communities gathered to race dragon boast on land. This was done by suspending a dragon boat on wheels and paddling it down streets with bamboo sticks. This race is also known as “dry-docked” dragon boat [10].
Dragon boat racing involves high intensity interval training that has demonstrated beneficial effects on cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, and cognitive function. One single training event of dragon boat racing has been found to reshape brain network function suggesting this is an activity that could be used to not only enhance health, but also enhance cognitive functions, treat cognitive functional disorders or other brain disorders. On a professional scale, athletes have greater orderliness and higher anti-interference in cognition indicating stronger executive functions of sustained attention with a greater ability to ignore distractions [11].
Three (Four)-Legged Race (Sān zú sàipǎo) 三足赛跑 (四足赛跑)
The three-legged race traces back to ancient Greece, although its exact origins are unclear. Ancient cultures used to play three-legged races during festivals and to celebrate athleticism. The three-legged race became popular again in the 19th and 20th centuries for play and competitions at festivals. It is a race of coordination as winning teams have developed synchronized dynamics of communication and coordination to place in a race [12].
Players tie their legs to another player’s leg with bands around their lower shins to become two players with three legs, or three players with four legs for a race.
This is a game where communication and coordination are necessary to complete the race.
Health benefits of three or four-legged races include improved coordination and balance, cardiovascular fitness, and stress relief. Players are required to effectively communicate and coordinate thoughts with actions to win a race [13]. Working memory is required to monitor and update all changes in spatial awareness of body (proprioception) while coordinating timing of steps and actions to achieve coherent steps in full during the race. Inhibition is also ongoing to deter impulsive actions that may interfere with a successful stride. Sustained attention is necessary throughout the game to keep focus on the task.
There are numerous traditional games and puzzles of China that remain popular:
Children begin learning puzzle solving playing Tangram, Hua Rong Dao, and Nine Links as well as learning fine motor skills playing Chopsticks Grip Ball and dexterity playing Pitching Pot [4,5].
Thank You! 中国传统文化
The snake symbolizes wisdom and transformation that offers opportunities for personal growth change for the year 2025.
(Lunar New Year 2025: A Guide to the Year of the Snake)
Building Brains Together would like to graciously thank Xiao heng Gao (Michelle) and Qingmei Zhou (Mei) for organizing and demonstrating a wonderful day of traditional Chinese Games. Their assistance with Chinese New Year 2025 is greatly appreciated. It was also wonderful to meet some members of our local Chinese community while playing games as it was a fun event for all.
References
1. Zuo, Y., Qui, Q., Hu, T., & Zhang, J. (2023). How natural environments influence traditional sports and games: A mixed methods study from China. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 58(2): 328–348. sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/10126902221096233.
2. Retrieved online January 2025 from: 16 Chinese Folk Games that are Still Popular Today - Pepchina.
3. Yamashita, M.; Yamamoto, T. Impact of Long-Rope Jumping on Monoamine and Attention in Young Adults. Brain Sci. 2021, 11, 1347. https://doi.org /10.3390/brainsci11101347.
4. Zhou, Q. (2025). In discussion.
5. Heng Gao, X. 2025). In discussion.
6. Starkes, J., Helsen, W., & Elliott, D. (2002) A ménage À trois: the eye, the hand and on-line processing, Journal of Sports Sciences, 20:3, 217-224, DOI: 10.1080/026404102317284772.
7. Retrieved online January 2025 from: The Health Benefits of Tai Chi - Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Health.
8. Pan Z, Su X, Fang Q, Hou L, Lee Y, Chen CC, Lamberth J & Kim M-L (2018). The Effects of Tai Chi Intervention on Healthy Elderly by Means of Neuroimaging and EEG: A Systematic Review. Front. Aging Neurosci. 10:110. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00110.
9. Retrieved online January 2025 from: https://chinesenewyear.net/lunar-new-year-2025-guide-year-of-the-snake.
10. Retrieved online March 2025 from: Unparalleled land dragon boat race takes place in NW.China’s Xinjiang - Global Times.
11. Jiang H, Zhao S, Wu Q, Cao Y, Zhou W, Gong Y, Shao C, Chi A. 2024. Dragon boat exercise reshapes the temporal-spatial dynamics of the brain. PeerJ 12:e17623 DOI 10.7717/peerj.17623.
12. Retrieved online January 2025 from: Three-Legged Race: 15 Amazing Discoveries You Can't Ignore - FactsGem.com.
13. Retrieved online January 2025 from: Health Benefits of Three-Legged Race - DoveMed.