1 Feb
By Phin Upham
China has been a force to be reckoned with at recent Olympic games, and it’s no wonder. Competitive sports in China has been pretty serious for as long as its citizens have practiced martial arts. That close relation bred one of the earliest forms of competitive sports in China: fighting.
Martial arts is an Olympic sport today, and is practiced by people from all over the world. Martial arts in China have even helped to spawn other forms of martial combat, including weapons, which are exhibited in various ways around the world for competitions.
Along with taijiquan, the sport of xianqi was commonly played as well. Chinese people have a deep appreciation for the mental rigors of the game of chess, and they developed their own game most likely based off of games encountered from Indian traders they’d met. Xianqi is an offshoot of traditional chess, recognizable by foreigners with some rules that are a bit different.
Cujo is another game not commonly played in its traditional form, but easily recognizable as one of the most loved sports all over the world. According to FIFA, cujo is the earliest form of soccer. The game involved kicking a ball through a net, without the use of hands.
Chinese people are also major fans of tennis and its various tabletop forms. Ping pong is one of the most popular competitive sports in China. While China cannot claim origin to basketball, it has evolved into something of a traditional sport. It’s said that there are more than 300,000 active players in various basketball leagues around mainland China.
About the Author: Phin Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Phin Upham website or LinkedIn page.