Some people say that football was invented by China. Is cuju related to modern football?

Due to the "stable performance" of China men's soccer team for many years, the quadrennial World Cup is not only a grand feast for China fans, but also a way for them to vent their dissatisfaction with the weakness of domestic men's soccer team. Especially the ancient cuju in China is the origin of football. Some fans hope that Gao Qiu will come back today to save the men's soccer team in China. The revival of golf can't save the national football: what's the difference between ancient cuju and modern football?

However, this sentence is only a joke at best, because even if Gao Taiwei clears up today, it will not save today's China men's soccer team. Other reasons are that there are many differences between ancient cuju and modern football. So what's the difference between ancient cuju and modern football? First of all, due to the different production techniques, the balls used in ancient cuju are different from those used in modern football. According to historical records, the ball used in ancient China Cuju was "wrapped in rice bran", which was quite different from the air used in modern football. However, the different uses of the ball also make the ancient cuju and modern football have great differences in playing tactics. Football, called "Cuju" in ancient times, originated in the Warring States and was introduced to the court and army in the Han Dynasty. At that time, cuju was not used purely for entertainment in the army, but to exercise the physical fitness of soldiers.

In the Tang Dynasty, the original solid ball was replaced by animal bladder inflation, and a goal with a net was set in the center of the stadium, which made the two sides lose contact and reduced the offensive and defensive tactics of football. Since then, cuju has been the most popular sport from the court to the people. The origin of football in China and the development from ancient Cuju in China to modern football reflect the differences between Chinese and western cultures. It is generally believed that Cuju originated in Qi State during the Warring States Period, and it is also said that Cuju appeared as early as Shang Dynasty.

The earliest record of Cuju is that Su Qin lobbied Qi during the Warring States Period, and the prosperity of Qi greatly praised Su Qin: "Very rich and solid, all of them are people who play cymbals, play the piano, fight chickens, run dogs, play Liubo and play Cuju." As a result, Cuju appeared in the Warring States period. Bow is a solid ball. "Take the skin as the purpose, take the hair as the truth, and think it is also a play". Cuju once declined because of wars in various countries, and people's food and clothing became a problem, so there was no idea of entertainment. It became popular again after the Han Dynasty, and the popularity of Cuju in the Han Dynasty also had a lot to do with Liu Bang.

In the Han dynasty, cuju was mainly a game between dignitaries and the army. At that time, after Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor, he took his father to live in Chang 'an, but after leaving his hometown, his father was unhappy in the palace, because all his friends in his hometown were "butchers who beat chickens and cuju, but unfortunately, they are all unhappy now". In order to relieve boredom, Liu Bang invited all his friends from his father's hometown to Chang 'an to play football with his father.

There are some advantages in the world, but there are also some disadvantages. The emperor likes playing football, so the sport changed from aristocrat to folk. Because the production process is not difficult and the price is cheap, everyone likes this sport. This movement even influenced Xian Di and Ming Di after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Because Ming Di was addicted to cuju and didn't want to go to court, his ministers wrote to dissuade him. Influenced by this trend, the elites of the upper class naturally like football. They "fish in the water, let dogs catch rabbits, play cuju and shoot chickens".