Jiang Guangyi: Analysis of the development of ancient ice and snow sports in China

Author: Jiang Guangyi

Source: Sports Culture Herald, No. 5, 2012

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Ancient ice and snow sports on the mainland can be traced back to ancient times. It has long been recorded in literature, according to the Book of Sui, "shooting hunting is a duty, eating meat and clothing." ...... There is a lot of snow on the ground, and there is fear of pits and traps, and I ride on wood." It can be seen that more than 1400 years ago, the "Murwei people" of Daxing'anling used to "ride on wood" to ski. After the Song Ming Dynasty, ice sports have flourished, according to the "Manchurian Old Archives Secret Record" compiled by Jin Liang: in the tenth year of the Qing Mandate of Heaven, that is, the second day of the first month of the fifth year of the Ming Dynasty (1625), Nurhaci, the Jurchen leader of the Northeast Jianzhou, held the first ice games in Chinese history. The program includes ice hockey and figure skating. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, skiing activities further developed. The "Heilongjiang Chronicle" once described the situation of the Hezhe people's skiing: "The hezhe people's beast-catching apparatus is known as the pedal quality, the snow is several feet deep, the wooden board is five feet long and tied to the two feet, the hand is like a boat, the ski forward is riding on the snow force, and it can be more than ten miles in an instant, and if there is lack of food in the snow, it will seek food from the mi beasts, and it will hunt and eat from afar, and all the martens that hunt the rats will have no escape, and the operation will be free, although the birds will not be able to reach it." It can be seen that the snowboards and skiing methods made and used by the Hezhe people are very similar to modern times, and the technology has been quite superb. In the Qing Dynasty, ice activity was more active and developed very fast. The three volumes of the "History of the Palace of the State Dynasty" during the Qianlong period record Qianlong's "Ice Frolic Endowment" and "Ice Frolic Map" (made by the court painters Zhang Weibang and Yao Wenhan during the Qianlong period), and through the expression of these poems and paintings, it is possible to clearly reproduce the various ice frolic activities that prevailed in the court at that time.

Therefore, from the perspective of the historical development and evolution of ice and snow sports, the ancient ice and snow sports on the mainland are the transformation of the working people into entertainment games and military sports projects using the means of transportation created by nature in their long-term production and life. It is a primitive cultural form formed by the people of all ethnic groups in the north in the established time and space due to various social factors such as geographical environment, mode of survival, folk customs, religious beliefs, and value orientation. Studying the ancient ice and snow sports culture can deepen our understanding of the ice and snow sports culture, and is of great significance for us to understand and analyze the sub-meta-culture of sports, sort out the intangible cultural heritage of the mainland, enrich the treasure house of the mainland culture, and promote the great development of the traditional culture of the mainland.

1 Analysis of the metaculture of ancient ice and snow sports

1.1 Ice and snow sports technology culture (material culture)

The development of technological culture generally experiences three forms of technology from low to high, namely, the technological form of fantasy, the technical form of experience, and the technical form of science. Ice and snow sports technology culture as a regional sub-metaculture from its birth to development also experienced the above three forms, people living in ancient alpine areas first for the needs of production and life, they imagined on the smooth ice surface and snow surface to make a means of transport carrying themselves forward to solve the difficulties in real life, so they tried to use various materials as a gliding tool to glide on the ice and snow for glide experiments, which is what we call the fantasy technology form After countless times of selecting a variety of natural plant materials or animal materials such as beast furs, finally with experience to find the use of hardwood boards as ice and snow gliding materials, so the empirical and technical form of ice and snow sports was born; then people summarized the gliding experience to find a lighter hard birch that is more suitable for ice and snow gliding, and polished the contact surface, fixed the appropriate length, and carried out artistic treatment such as carving decoration on the sliding tool, according to different uses, the length, width, thickness and the auxiliary objects embedded on the skateboard, Such as the fur that helps to glide, etc. are different. Light skis without fur are used for sliding on the ice surface or snow edges, and skis covered with fur are used for sliding in deep snow, so that the scientific and technological form of ice and snow sports technology culture has emerged, and the emergence of this technical form marks the maturity of ice and snow sports technology meta-culture. The above discussion can also be proved and understood through historical records: according to Cong Peiyuan, Zhao Mingqi edited the "Cao Tingjie Collection" in the "Siberian East Deviation Minutes" said: Heijin "snow is even applied to the pedal under the foot, four inches wide, four or five feet long, the bottom is covered with deerskin or Kanda skin, so that the hair tip is backwards, with nails, holding a wooden pen to support the snow without falling, up and down is particularly fast" In the text narrative, the "Black Jin" refers to the Hezhe people living in the Ussuri River area of Heilongjiang, and this deerskin pedal is designed to catch prey in the snowy fields of the deep mountains According to The Tang Dynasty Du You wrote in the Tongdian Liu Ghost: "After each solid ice, the wood is six inches wide and seven feet long, and it is tied to it, and the beast is chased by the lowly layer of ice." People in the Ghost Country (formerly part of the mainland Sakhalin Island) use wooden planks, as long and wide as snowboards, to slide on the ice and snow, chasing wild animals for hunting. According to the "Literature Tongkao" compiled by Ma Duanlin in the Song and Yuan dynasties, "Rao roe deer, shooting hunting is a job ... The ground is full of snow, afraid of sinking into the pits, riding on wood. The "riding wood" mentioned in the text also refers to the ancient Murwei people living in the Daxing'anling generation (that is, referring to the Evenk people living in the area of present-day Daxing'anling and Nenjiang) invented a means of transportation to adapt to the snow, and the invented "riding wood" is also a representative of the ancient ice and snow traffic technology and culture, "riding" is the meaning of "stepping", and "wood" originally referred to "wooden horse" that is similar to the current wooden skis. Looking at the above characteristics of ice and snow transportation in different regions and different ethnic groups, it can reflect the technical and cultural customs of skiing of various ethnic groups.

1.2 Ice and snow sports system culture

1.2.1 The "ice rolling" movement embodies the regional folk system and culture

Shen Zhaofu of the Republic of China period described in the "Jilin Chronicle Poems": "The fish dragon Man Yan opens the lamp at night, and the snow moon shines on Shu Jingzeng." Join hands to sing the song to be happy, get rid of the obscurity and should be rested." (Qing) Yang Bin's "Liubian Jiluo" records: "Manchurian women, on the sixteenth day of the first month, roll together, the day is out of obscurity, especially at night." The "removal of obscurity" and "de-obscurity" described in these two poems are all old Manchu customs, called "rolling ice" or commonly known as "rolling ice", which is believed to be a Manchu folk activity that can roll away diseases and obscurity and bring healthy good luck. This custom can also be explained according to the current "sports concept", "rolling ice and snow" not only expresses people's admiration for ice and snow psychology, but also through this sport can move the muscles and bones of the whole body, relax and purify the mind. This custom of rolling ice and snow sports has been passed down to this day, and in some cities and villages in the northeast, where there is well freezing ice and snow in rivers and lakes, people participate in this sport every fifteenth day of the first month, which can be seen that this specific time of rolling ice and snow has become a custom.

1.2.2 The "Ice Frolic" movement became a representative of the "national customs" system and culture of the Qing Dynasty

"Ice play" is a general term for the content of various ice activities, and it is also a unique sports activity in the north, also known as "ice play", which is an ice and snow sport that all ethnic groups in the north like. In the "Beiping Customs and Customs" compiled by Li Jiarui, it is recorded: "In november of the Beijing Division, the civilians 'are the moon, skating and rubbing the ice, dragging the bed for the ferry'". The "Lang Qian Jiwen" also records that "the winter moon in the forbidden winter month is slippery, and the water is first drawn to pour water into an iceberg ... so that the brave and strong wear fur pig skin shoes, and their slippery is even worse, from the top to the top, all the way down, to the ground is not servants to win." The scene of ice frolic activities in the Qing Dynasty described in the above two paragraphs can be seen from the inner courtyard of the imperial palace to the folk love for the "ice frolic" movement. The Qianlong Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty, in his "Order of Ice Frolic", defined the ice frolic movement as a "national custom" of the Qing Dynasty. It can be seen that the ice play movement was valued by the emperor in the Qing Dynasty, especially during the Qianlong period, and has become a typical representative of the national and folk culture of the Great Qing Dynasty, which has been institutionalized and inherited.

1.2.3 The military system and culture of military training and martial arts training

The Qing Dynasty called skating a "skating show", and the Qing court held a grand skating competition every year, which had two meanings, one was as a competition and performance (similar to today's speed skating and figure skating), and the other was a review of the martial arts of the Eight Banners. The emperor personally came to the scene to review the ice sports, "ice running play" is not only more than technology but also more than tricks, lined up around to help, learn martial arts to reward, praise the brave. Several emperors in the early Qing Dynasty generally held such performances and parades at Tailiuchi (present-day Beihai Park, Beijing). Books such as the "Qing Dynasty Literature Examination" and other books record the ice skating martial arts event in more detail: "Every year in October, the eight flags and the forward commanders, the commanders of the guards, etc., each flag is selected according to the fixed number of 200 good skaters, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs prepares skates, heads, bows and arrows, ball racks and other items." After the winter solstice, driving the Lucky Yingtai and other places", showing ice frolic and shooting; sky balls and other skills, divided into two wings, twelve leaders of each wing, wearing red and yellow coats, and Yu Ju wearing red and yellow odd shoulder coats. There were 160 archers and 40 young children, all dressed in horse coats, carrying small flags, and walking on the ice in various directions according to the eight flags. It is also said in the "Old Wen Kao of the Sun" that "Tailiuchi performs ice plays in winter, and practices labor and rewards to practice national customs by reading martial arts", and the ice skating activities mentioned above can be witnessed, which is not only a kind of cultural entertainment, but also a form of military system for training soldiers and learning martial arts.

1.3 Ice and snow sports spiritual culture

1.3.1 Poetry and painting interpret the spiritual culture of ice and snow sports

During the Qianlong period, the three volumes of the "History of the State Dynasty Palace" recorded the "Ice Frolic Endowment", which was an outstanding work written by Qianlong to describe the grand situation of the ice sports conference, and is a precious document of the mainland skating culture. The whole is about 1300 words, which is grand, rich in connotation and delicate in description. From this, we can understand the profundity of traditional Chinese culture. For example, the prologue of "Ice Playing", "The diseaser of the chocobo, I know that he is a horse." Whoever is sick of the water, I know that he is a boat and a fish. The sick of the clouds, I know that it is a crane. As for the ice, it is not to rub the lin, glue, and slip, and mo can perform its tricks. There are ice skaters, knee pads, and shoes. Or the bottom contains double teeth, so that the ice is exhausted and the person is not distracted. Or the fungal iron is like a knife, so that the ice is trampled and the steps are overstepped. Compared with Dongpo Zhilin, it is more light and convenient. It is a pity that those who have not been endowed since ancient times have been endowed. The "main text" is covered with the lonely class of the White Pagoda, and the horizontal song of the jade and spicy in the sickle and the fen. ...... Chen Lu gathered the crowd, both thunder and popular; knotted the whole line, collapsed in the spring and hunted in the autumn. "Sometimes the gods, sometimes the Buddhas, sometimes the horses, sometimes the birds." All are Qianlong's "Ice Frolic Endowments" that describe the grand beauty of the ice frolic in the capital at that time and the peaceful and prosperous scenes displayed.

During the Qianlong period, there were also many poems and paintings with the theme of ice play. For example, Jin Kun, Cheng Zhidao and others cooperated in the long volume of "Ice Play Map" that expressed the art of ice ball; Shen Yuan's "Ice Play Map" and Zhang Weibang and Yao Wenhan's "Ice Play Map", etc., all reproduced the superb and wonderful skills on ice and the colorful and wonderful skating skills through the form of painting, and their expression techniques and painting art level reached a fairly high level.

There are five and seven poems about BingXiao, there are absolute sentences, long songs, etc.; among them, Qianlong has the most poems, and some have good situations. The "Yandu Miscellaneous Songs" compiled by Fan Bin (Qing) records the poet Gu Sen's poem describing Ice Play: "Too liquid frozen at the beginning, ice play team after team, curved arc and wanton martial arts, upward shooting color ball circle" . This is a poem describing the grandeur of the Qing bing bing. Depicting folk ice dramas, such as Yang Miren's "Bamboo Branches of Dumen", it is written: "Frozen glass is like a mirror, and thousands of people are watching and running ice." Regarding the pattern of ice skating, the "Yanjing Chronicle" said: "The skillful people, such as dragonflies dotting water, purple swallows through the waves, are very impressive", reflecting that there were many skating tricks at that time, and had a certain name. Vivid scenes depicting ancient skating activities are also reflected in poetry, and the "Dumen Chronicle" contains a bamboo branch that reads: "Walking on the ice like the wind, shoe sole steel bar maker." Fall before the person into a smile, head south foot north hand west east."

The vivid scenes described in the above poems fully reflect that the projects of folk and official ice frolic are not only roughly the same, but also have a popularity and even exceed the official. Through the expression of these poems, the records can not only reproduce the pleasure and enjoyment brought by the ice sports to people's spirits, but also express people's love for the beautiful life that nature has given to human beings from different cultural and artistic perspectives.

1.3.2 Representatives of national culture of fitness and entertainment

Ancient ice and snow sports due to the venue and equipment requirements are not high, the number of participants can be more or less, suitable for development and popularization, coupled with in order to meet the needs of the royal family to watch entertainment, but also absorbed martial arts, acrobatics and other artistic content, to create a lot of entertainment, competition, viewing in one of the difficult actions, such as "swallow point water", "green dragon back", "big scorpion", "golden rooster independence", "boy worship Guanyin", "double flying dance run" and so on. These sports, whether it is those who participate in the competition or those who watch the competition, can get a lot of fun from it, as the Qing poet Yang Mi wrote in the "Bamboo Branches of Dumen": "The ice is like a mirror, and ten thousand people are watching and running on the ice"; "Walking on the ice like the wind, the sole steel bar maker, falling down before the person into a smile, the head south and foot north hand west and east". In addition, ordinary civilians also participate in a variety of ice entertainment, such as "Inside and outside the imperial city, where there is ice, drag the bed to make a living... The people who sit on the bed are intertwined, and there are also Kangxing who are drunk and frequent. "It shows that the ice bed exercise at that time was also a sport of fitness, amusement, and enjoyment." It is these different ice and snow entertainment sports themselves that have fitness, entertainment, ornamentation and competitiveness, which can be welcomed by the people and can be continued and developed as a culture for a long time.

1.3.3 The great unification of the imperial power and the flourishing culture

On the twenty-first day of the fifty-third year of Qianlong (a title for December, Jiaping Twenty-first Day, that is, the twenty-first day of the month of La), the Qianlong Emperor improvised a poem when receiving foreign affairs activities in Xiyuan: "He Zheng is close to and far away from Bi Laitong, and the edict is communicated by public opinion." The new domain in the northwest is called the old servant, and the southeast catcher learns Binhong. Bing Xi still has a clean training, and the garden boots are all with a sense of sincerity. The crowd rejoiced in kang's strong praise, and only deeply looked forward to Hao Enmeng. The poem recreates the diplomatic scene of the great Qing Dynasty. On the 21st day of the 21st month of the 53rd year of Qianlong, Xiyuan held an ice frolic, specially inviting foreign envoys, leaders of various ethnic groups and taiwan's mountain tribes to watch, this kind of diplomatic ceremonial activity has the meaning of displaying force, promoting military prestige, establishing the authority of the suzerainty, stabilizing people's hearts, and ethnic harmony, which is also an example of using ice to engage in political and diplomatic activities. The scene described in the poem expresses the common wish of the leaders of all ethnic groups who come to celebrate the New Year to safeguard the unity of the motherland, and shows the strong cultural development brought about by the imperial power of the Qing Empire, the prosperous scene of Guotai Border Security, political communication and people.

2 Conclusion

From the initial development of ancient ice and snow sports for survival and transportation to appreciation, fitness, entertainment, military, diplomacy and other purposes, the ancient ice and snow sports on the mainland can see through the context of the development of ancient ice and snow sports culture and the unique cultural attributes and characteristics, on the other hand, it also reflects the spiritual pursuit of ancient ancestors to use the ice and snow resources endowed by nature to create life, beautify life and optimize life, that is, the so-called "existence determines consciousness, consciousness reacts to matter" in philosophy.

Through the cultural connotation of ice and snow sports, we can interpret it from the three levels of technical culture, institutional culture and spiritual culture, which are expressed through the characteristics of tool culture, folk culture, national custom culture, military culture, poetry culture, leisure and entertainment culture, political culture, etc., and it can be seen that from grassroots culture to the traditional cultural value concept of imperial power and nobility, this cultural symbol and other cultural symbols also bloom in the hundred gardens of Chinese national culture.

Nowadays, in the face of the new situation of economic and cultural development at home and abroad, the ancient ice and snow sports culture as an intangible cultural heritage must not only inherit, but also vigorously develop. The government, society, scholars and non-governmental organizations should play an active role in protecting, inheriting and reviving traditional sports culture, making it a beautiful landscape for building a socialist cultural power and creating a beautiful landscape in the environment of great cultural development and prosperity.

Author Affilications:Department of Humanities and Sociology of Sports, Jilin University of Physical Education

Comments from omitted, the full version please refer to the original text.

Editor: Xiang Yu

Proofreader: Water Life

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