Chinese Sports

After 1979, the Chinese sports, the millenniaold practice of wushu, or martial arts, is back on the upswing in China-and around the world. There are at least a hundred different forms of wushu (also called gongfu or kung fu) in China alone. Traditionally, practical needs like selfdefense and physical strengthening were only part of what drew practitioners to wus u; it was also a vehicle for spiritual development. It made its impact on other branches of Chinese culture, as well; wushu moves were often incorporated into performing arts such as opera and acrobatics. Famous centers of wus u study include the Buddhist Shaolin Monastery in Henan and the Daoist Wudangshan temples in Hubei. Tai chi (or tai i), a toned-down version of wus u featuring slow, fluid, circular body movements, is extremely popular with the nation's elderly, who pack into parks at the crack of dawn for morning exercise.

After 1949, sports began to intertwine with politics; the Communist government treated athletics as a means of building and displaying national prestige. The government encouraged participation in sports and built public sports facilities. During the height of the Maoist era, the Chairman, an avid swimmer since childhood, urged the nation's young people to "leani to thrive in the turbulent waves" (both figuratively and literally). Millions heeded his call and dove into the nation's rivers and lakes, even as they plunged into the violent tides of politics.

Due to overcrowding in Chinese urban spaces, the most popular sports today also tend to be the most space-efficient. Ping pong and badminton took the country by storm in the middle of the century. Pioneering the rapid-firing "pencil grip," Chinese ping pong players overwhelmed opponents still using traditional grips and established themselves as the unquestioned leaders in the sport. In the early 1970s, when China was at the height of its international isolation, ping pong matches were the first instances of the unofficial cultural contacts between the U.S. and China that led to the normalization of relations between the two; hence, the phrase Ping Pong Politics.

In the last few decades, freed from the weighty burden of promoting political agendas, sports have flourished as leisure activities. Bowling, billiards, tennis, and racquetball, though increasingly popular, are still considered sports of the well-to-do. Bans on "bourgeois sports" like golf, bowling, and horse-racing have been lifted, though gambling remains officially illegal. Michael Jordan (known as Qiaodan) mania hit China hard, and basketball is now mind-bogglingly popular among young people. In Olympic competition, China is traditionally strong in diving, gymnastics, women's volleyball, and table tennis, but overnight successes in swimming and track and field have raised suspicions about the use of performance enhancement drugs.

The most popular spectator sport is soccer, and the failure of the Chinese men's team to quality for the World Cup has been the cause of deep national disappointment. Even the most ardent fans must resort to cheering for other countries (Brazil being the most popular, followed by Germany, Nigeria, and the Netherlands). Fortunately for fans, Chinese women's teams have continuously succeeded where their male counterparts have not. Winners of six straight Asian championships, the Chinese women are considered one of the premier teams in the world. Over 91% of Be&g residents stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch the 1999 Women's World Cup Medals, in which China finally fell to the U.S. after playing a scoreless match lasting 120 minutes of regulation play and overtime.