Cuju Reborn
Saving the (original) beautiful game
Thousands of years before Pelé, Maradona and the Ronaldo vs Messi debate, the precursor to modern-day soccer was born in ancient China. The ball game Cuju, translating as “kick-ball”, is an ancient Chinese sport in which two teams compete to kick a ball through a small hole in a net. Players were allowed to use their feet, knees, shoulders and chest to control the ball and different versions of the game existed, including some versions which involved players performing kick-ups and various trick shots.
Cuju has become a footnote in the history of the world’s greatest sport, not known by the 4 billion soccer fans around the world. But using ancient tapestries, scrolls and manuscripts this site aims to breathe new life into the original beautiful game. Read on to learn about the history of Cuju, how to play the game and even where to watch modern day matches!
A short history of Cuju
It is believed that Cuju originated during the Warring States period in China (475 to 221BC), with the sport first mentioned in the ancient text Zhan Guo Ce (Strategies of the Warring States). At this time China was divided into seven major states, each of which was competing for dominance. Therefore, Cuju was primarily used to train soldiers in discipline, stamina and agility. As the Han dynasty (206BC to 220AD) progressed Cuju spread from the army to the royal courts and upper class. For example, Emperor Wu (141BC to 87BC) is said to have organised cockfighting and Cuju matches in the Imperial palace.
The first record of the rules of the game was found engraved on the cornerstone of a Cuju field from the Eastern Han period (25 to 220AD). The engraving, left by You Li (李尤), reads:
It was several hundred years later that Cuju reached its peak of popularity, during the Song dynasty (960-1279AD). By this point, the ball had evolved from a leather ball stuffed with hair or feathers (in the Warring States) to an air-filled ball. Meanwhile, economic and social development meant Cuju began to be played by all classes of society and professional Cuju clubs started to arise. The Qi Yun Club, established in Kaifeng, China, can be considered to be the first soccer association established worldwide.
It’s worth noting that the sport was played by women as well as men with one writer in the Tang dynasty recounting a story of soldiers playing against three teenage girls. In fact, records of women playing Cuju go back to the Warring States period, with paintings depicting courtly women playing. During the Song dynasty the sport became central to ceremonial occasions, being performed at palace banquets to entertain the ruling class, as well as playing an important diplomatic role - with warriors playing Cuju to entertain visiting diplomats from other countries. The Illustrated Manual of Cuju (written around 1100-1180AD) notes that Cuju pitches in this period were often decorated with ribbons, flowers and incense, adding to the spectacle.
One Hundred Children in the Long Spring (長春百子圖), a painting by Chinese artist Su Hanchen (蘇漢臣, active AD 1130–1160s), Song dynasty
During the Song dynasty there were two forms of Cuju - Zhuqiu and Baida. Zhuqiu, the traditional form of Cuju, continued to have two teams playing against one another and competing to kick the ball through a hole in the net. The Illustrated Manual of Cuju notes the positions of players including the “Zuo Jun” (left army) and “You Jun” (right army) which would correspond to the left and right wing, the “Shou Wang” (net protector) and the Qiu Tou (captain). Meanwhile, in Baida, there was no goal to score in. Instead, players would perform “tricks” with the ball, including ten main kicking methods - the use of the shoulder, back, turning, hooking, controlling, pressing, pulling, kneeling, hitting and sickling. The players had fixed areas of a court and fixed passing routes. If a player failed to accurately pass the ball to the correct opponent they would lose points.
Sadly, Cuju began to die out during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644AD), when Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang banned the sport in response to it becoming associated with brothels where prostitutes would play to attract clientele. Today, Cuju has largely been relegated to history books, with very few people playing the sport. The Linzi football museum in Zibo, China, is one of the few places where Cuju is regularly played, with daily reenactments on display