Olympic Athletics in Chinese History: Fence-play and Chinese Swords
By admin on 2014-12-15

Beijing Olympic Games was filled with elements of Chinese culture. The Beijing Olympic Games emblem, golden medal with inlaid jade,  design of 'lucky clouds torch', the magnificent Chinese culture portrays on opening ceremony, green flower porcelain and embroidery decorated in subway stations , and so on…… China has a long history of sports from thousands of years ago. many historical allusions are Olympic events and is inextricably linked.  And all kinds of historical allusions link inextricably with Olympic Games.

It is well-knowned of the story of "stoop to conquer" . In an acient war happened in the Spring and Autumn period, Yue country was defeated by another country, Wu. And the lord of Yue, Gou Jian, was besieged in the Mt. Huiji by the enemy. The lord Gou have no choice but surrendered and prayed for peace to his enemy. Since then, the country Yue was add in territory of the Wu country. And the former lord Gou served in the palace as a slave in the follow days until the lord of Wu country, Fu chai, assoiled him as a plebeian 3 years later.

After returning to his hometown, Gou had never forgot what he lost and made his decision to revenge. In order to not forget the pain of national subjugation, he hanged a piece of gall bladder under the roof, tasted it before he did every thing. He also spelled a "bed" with crude sticks in his room and slept on it without blankets when he was tired. The hard life inspired his fighting spirit for a decade of years. At last, Gou led his people fighting agaist Wu and at last won the victory.

In December, 1965,  the famous bronze sword of Lord Gou was found in an acient aristocratic tombs in Hubei province. Archaeologists found a wooden box painted with black lacquer beside the mummy during excavation. And the luxurious bronze sword was placed in it. The sword and scabbard inosculated accurately. When the sword was drew out of the scabbard, to every one's superise, the sword was shining without any rust after being buryed in the tomb for thousands of years. They even did an experiment and cut a pile of paper breaking into two divides easily with the thin shap sword. Experts did a lot research and unscrambled the seal inscriptions carved on the sword and approved that it was the sword in Chinese ancient legend.

It is great differences between modern fence-play and use of sword in ancient China. The former emphasizes skills while the latter relies on how tartness the sword is. In order to meet people's preferences and needs of fencing, but not harm to life, the length of the swords are designed shorter with a diamond-shaped or rectangular top. Fence-play divide into Foil, Epee, Sabre. Athletes wears the specified clothing, hold swords with one hand and thrust each other on the fencing-market. It is identified as a successfully hit and score when one hit the other with the sword of the effective part.