Last month, the Northerners were swept away by an event.
It's not big, but there are 200 players who signed up, it's not international, because it's all old Beijing, and it's not standardized, because this competition can only be regarded as a game......
But it is this folk competition called the "Old Beijing Root-Pulling Competition" that allows all Beijingers to take out the carefully selected dead leaves of poplar trees from the soles of their shoes to compete in Longtan Zhonghu Park in Dongcheng District.
Source: There are more than fish and geese
What is "root-pulling"? Root-pulling is "root-pulling", in which each side holds a poplar leaf root, which is the rhizome part of the poplar tree's fallen leaves. After the two "roots" crossed, the two grabbed the poplar roots and pulled them in their direction. Whoever breaks the opponent's "roots" wins.
Whether you've heard of it or not, as long as you participate in it once, you will find that this little game is addictive.
is such a simple game, which has become a childhood memory spanning the three generations of the post-70s, post-80s and post-90s. It has also inspired a variety of widely circulated game wisdom. For example, how to choose roots: thick and dry roots are not easy to brittle, and the winning rate is higher, or how to "dip roots": put them in stinky sneakers and simmer them, and steam them in salt water to make them more tough...... These small tricks have become the secret of victory for children in the north.
Source: Douyin @杜黝黝
It's just that no one thought that Bagener could organize a game for this matter. TRASHGUN learned that the Bagener Contest was initiated by the "More than Fish and Geese" platform, and if you pay an entry fee of 20 yuan, you can have a numbered ticket. You can bring your own "roots", and the organizer can also provide "roots" for the competition.
Prior to this, the Rooter Contest had been held twice. But this year, the enthusiasm of the public is particularly high, the number of participants has reached 10 times that of last year, and the scale of the competition has also increased - not only the stage has been set up in the park, but the event has also been sponsored by Mafengwo and Beiping Machinery.
Source: There are more than fish and geese
After the start of the competition, 200 players are divided into ten groups, and the winners of each group will advance, and the final champion will be determined by the top four players. The group stage, repechage round, knockout round, and final can be compared to the World Cup for three years, and the Bagener Competition ended successfully in just one afternoon. In the end, a family team won the victory and was awarded the title of "King of Gen'er".
Source: There are more than fish and geese
How hot was this game? @杜黝黝 at the scene of the game said, "It was actually very cold that afternoon, but everyone was very enthusiastic, and some people even came from Changping. 」
Here I would like to explain to friends who don't know the situation: the difficulty and time cost of crossing from Changping to Dongcheng are not lower than those in the province.
The audience who came and went was holding a handful of "roots" in their hands, catching who and who to "pull", and at the same time, they did not delay holding their mobile phones to broadcast live or take pictures, and go back and post them on social platforms.
It is also November, and unlike Beijing, which is freezing cold, Hainan Island still has a pleasant climate of 28 degrees. What's more, poplars in Hainan do not lose their leaves at all, and the roots must not be pulled out, but Hainan people also have their own reservation project - climbing coconut trees.
On November 26, the coconut climbing competition was held in Sanya. As one of the official events of the 7th Hainan Provincial Minority Traditional Sports Games, coconut tree climbing is quite popular. After all, compared with the Tianjin breaking diving that exploded this summer, the spectacle of this sport is even better.
To control for variables, the coconut climbing race uses a replica coconut tree, with men climbing at a height of 9 meters and women climbing at a height of 7 meters. Climb to the top of the tree and tap the timer, and the one with the shortest time wins. In addition to the individual race, there is also a relay race, which is quite fair and rigorous. The coconut tree climbing competition can be understood as a branch of rock climbing competition, but one climbs a tree and the other climbs a wall.
In the end, Zhu Yaguang from the Sanya delegation won the first prize in the men's individual competition of the "Coconut Climbing Race" with a time of 9.409 seconds. He said after the game that because he grew up in rural Hainan since he was a child, he often climbed the coconut tree in front of the house and behind the house to pick coconut green to quench his thirst, and slowly practiced the basic skills of tree climbing.
The coconut tree climbing competition also originated from the living and labor tradition of Hainan people climbing coconut trees and picking coconuts. Just like "rooting", it has been discovered as a competitive character over the years, and has become a cultural symbol of a region.
Source: Xiaohongshu @无敌豆芽
Who said that sports can only be serious competitions, and folk wisdom is also wonderful and splendid, suitable for all ages. Some people love to play and some people love to watch, which completely satisfies the meaning of the existence of an event.
What's more, the Root-Pulling Competition has crossed the ocean to the United Kingdom, completing a wave of strong and attractive cultural exports, allowing the wanderer to reminisce about his childhood in a foreign country.
Source: Xiaohongshu @牛津中国学联CSSA
The day after the game, the Root-Pulling Contest was also reported by Beijing Satellite TV, and the host held up a poplar leaf and said: "This is a veritable retention of 'roots'. 」
With the development of television, games and social platforms, children no longer have to rummage through the fallen leaves to pass the time with their playmates. Activities such as uprooting and climbing coconut trees have also seen the phenomenon of generational breakage. However, these folk activities, which are full of tradition and wisdom, are still worthy of being recorded and passed on.
When a game lasts for decades, it must have enduring value and an upward future.
Cover and first picture source: more than fish and goose