Chuiwan (Ancient Chinese golf)

Author: Liu Bingguo, Zhang Shengping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: Chuiwan was an ancient ball game in China. The most complete description of Chuiwan appears in the Wan Jing (Book of Ball Games) written by Ning Zhi during the Yuan Dynasty. From the surviving literary records, Chuiwan actually emerged far earlier than the Yuan Dynasty. By the late Northern Song Dynasty, Chuiwan had already reached a considerable scale. The Ming Xuanzong Xingle Tu (Illustration of Emperor Xuanzong's Leisure Activities) preserved in the Beijing Palace Museum and the Chuiwan Shiniu Tu (Illustration of Noblewomen Playing Chuiwan) by the Ming Dynasty painter Du Jin demonstrate that Chuiwan was popular among the imperial family and scholars during the Ming Dynasty. Due to its strong resemblance to modern golf, Chuiwan is often referred to as "Chinese golf" in the fields of Chinese and Western sports history. Today, golf courses use tees as the starting point for each hole, while Chuiwan designated striking points as "ji" (bases). During play, players used three types of clubs: the head club, the second club, and the third club. The head club had to first set the base before striking the ball, with each subsequent strike starting from the previous landing spot. In summary, except for the name, the entire game of Chuiwan can be considered the precursor to modern golf. The relationship between Chinese Chuiwan and golf has long been a topic of interest for many sports historians. Nineteen years ago, when Professor Ling Hongling proposed that the rules and methods of Chuiwan were highly similar to those of golf, with the former emerging centuries before the latter, everyone hoped for further research on Chuiwan that would be widely understood by society. Nearly two decades have passed, and now, for the first time, a systematic book on Chuiwan has been presented to us. It not only explains the birth, development, and spread of Chuiwan from the perspective of the evolution of ancient ball games but also clarifies its methods and essence. Moreover, it popularizes the difficult-to-understand ancient sports text Wan Jing, enabling us to firmly believe that ancient Chinese Chuiwan and modern golf are similar sports, with Chuiwan being a new phenomenon that emerged from the cultural soil of ancient China. Like many readers, I sincerely thank Professors Liu and Zhang for their efforts.