Chinese culture is broad and profound, and peking opera, martial arts, calligraphy, traditional Chinese medicine, chess, Chinese painting and so on have been handed down to this day. Among them, Qinqi calligraphy and painting are called the four traditional art forms of China, which has become a cultural form with rich connotations.
The so-called chess player, Yi also. Chess player, Yi also. China's "chess culture" has long been popular in ancient times, and its history has a long history, which can not only temper people's will, but also cultivate people's sentiments. Even if it is still passed down to this day, it is still very popular. The most representative types of chess in China are Go and Chess. They not only represent the crystallization of the ancient Chinese culture, but also are very popular entertainment games today, and even have been put on the competition stage.
Today, let's talk about Chinese chess, one of the two major chess types in China!
<h1>The earliest origin and emergence of Chinese chess</h1>
There is also a lot of controversy about the origin of Chinese chess, because it has undergone several historical evolutions before the finalization, and even the international community says that it originated in India.
However, in the Song Dynasty's "Shilin Guangji", the earliest chess score that Can be seen in China is recorded, which is more than 200 years earlier than the earliest chess score that appeared in the West in the 15th century. Therefore, these records are enough to overturn the long-standing popular Chinese chess in foreign countries that originated in India.
Chinese chess has a very clear Chinese style, which is in line with China's historical characteristics, characteristics and culture, and also has a relatively long history.
Xiangqi was known as "Elephant Play" and first appeared in the Northern Zhou Wu Emperor Tianhe four years.
The Book of Zhou and Benji once recorded: "In the fourth year of Tianhe, in may, the imperial "Elephant Classic" was completed, and The Collection of Hundred Liao lectures was made. ”
The Southern and Northern Dynasties literary scholar Yu Xin once wrote the "Elephant Drama Endowment" and the "Jinxiang Jing Endowment Table", which shows that chess had already appeared in society at that time.
However, some scholars believe that chess was actually produced in the Warring States period. Liu Xiang's book "Saying Yuan Shan Shu" records the warring states Meng Yujun playing chess: "Yongmen Zhou adjusted Meng Yujun, and The Foot Yan fought chess, and also fought. ”
There is also a record in the "Chu Ci Summoning Souls" that "castor shields the chess, there are six thinner". Therefore, some people think that in the Warring States period, chess has already appeared.
Some scholars believe that chess was actually born in the Spring and Autumn Period, and believe that chess was produced by imitating the military system at that time. Because the naming of chess pieces is also a symbol of the military classes at that time, it coincides with the military system of the Spring and Autumn Period, such as generals, marshals, cars, horses, soldiers, soldiers, pawns and so on. However, this statement is only a kind of inference, which has not been confirmed at present, and there is a lack of relevant historical records!
All in all, there are many opinions about the earliest origin of Chinese chess, and there are many theories about it. But in any case, it has a history of thousands of years and is a classic product of the intangible culture of Chinese civilization.
<h1>The development of Chinese chess</h1>
As mentioned above, chess was first called "elephant play". In the Sui and Tang dynasties, chess activities were prevalent, and many books have recorded it, the most important of which is a story about Cen Shun's dream of xiangqi in the first year of Baoying's legendary novel collection "Xuan Wei Lu" written by Niu Monk and Child. The chess system of the Tang Dynasty also has many similarities with early chess.
In the Song Dynasty, chess became widely popular, and the Song Dynasty theorist Cheng Hao once wrote a poem about chess: "Most of the games are dramas, and elephant plays can learn to use soldiers." Che Ma still has Zhou juggling, partial gods and Han official names. The eight-sided general of the Chinese army was heavy, and the sharp oblique pawns outside the river were light, but they laughed at themselves with their worries, and Liu Xiang was also idle. ”
The founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin also played against people and lost the bet on Mount Hua, of course, this is just folklore.
In the early Qing Dynasty, Lü Liuliang's "Xiangqi Live" once said: "Huayin County: When Song Taizu fell, he once traveled to Huashan mountain and played chess with the old man Xiyi, and Taizu lost to Chen. Therefore, when he was about to take the throne, he deposed Li Shuzhi near Mount Hua to show that he did not eat the preface, and there are still relics that can be proved. ”
In the Southern Song Dynasty, chess was further developed and popularized. Literary scholars such as Li Qingzhao and Liu Kezhuang, and politicians such as Hong Zun and Wen Tianxiang all liked to play chess. Including the "chess to be commanded" set up in the inner court of the imperial palace, chess players account for almost half of them. The so-called "chess to be commanded" began in the Tang Dynasty and was used to attract chess players (Go, chess, etc.) from all over the world. There are professionals called "chess masters" in the folk, as well as handmade craftsmen who despotic chess pieces and chess boards.
It can be seen that during the Song Dynasty, whether it is the court or the folk, chess has long become a very popular activity.
In the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, chess continued to be popular among the people, and the technical level was continuously improved. Among them, Li Kaixian, a chess player in the Ming Dynasty, is the most famous, he claims that "Yu is good at knocking chess and arranging music, and he has no end to it". He is highly skilled in chess and has never met an opponent. Praise from the times: Only this one art can be high in ancient and modern times.
In the Qing Dynasty, especially after entering the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, the society was stable, which provided a good social environment for the development of chess activities. From the Kangxi To Jiaqing years, many skilled chess players emerged. Since the Qing Dynasty is the closest to our time, the activities of these chess players and their writings, as well as some documentary records, have been very completely preserved, providing us with credible and reliable evidence for us to understand the trajectory of chess activities in the Qing Dynasty.
For example, Xu Xingyou during the Kangxi Dynasty was a famous chess player. Many people think that he is only good at Go, but in fact, his achievements in chess are also quite advanced. According to historical records, "Xu Xingyou of Qiantang, who was good at yi (Go), especially good at elephant play, traveled to Yan Zhao Qilujian, defeated the local famous players, and had the reputation of Qiantang double excellence."
Probably means that Xu Xingyou in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, is good at playing chess, especially chess, and has traveled around Hebei, Shandong and other places to defeat famous local chess players, which is known as Hangzhou's double absolute, which fully shows that Xu Xingyou's chess level was very high at that time.
Later, in the last years of the Kangxi Dynasty, Xu Xingyou was defeated by a young chess player, Cheng Lanru, who surrendered the title of "Chess King" that he had maintained for many years, and retired from this achievement, returned to his hometown, and devoted himself to the study of yibi writings.
Cheng Lanru, who defeated Xu Xingyou, was also quite accomplished in Go, and together with Liang Weijin, Fan Xiping, and Shi Ding'an, he was called the "Four Masters" of Go during the Yongzheng and Qianlong years. Like Xu Xingyou, he not only played Go well, but was also good at chess.
According to Li Dou's "Records of Yangzhou Paintings", "Cheng Lan ru is not as good as Shi (Ding'an) and Fan (Xiping), while chess is called a national hand." ”
In general, during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, chess has become a popular activity in society, some people use it to cultivate sentiments and cultivate self-cultivation, some people use it to pass the time, and some people use it to do social networking, such as meeting friends with chess and so on.
Of course, there are also many words about playing chess, such as: watching chess is not a true gentleman, falling without regrets and a big husband; moving chess is uncertain; the authorities are fans, bystanders are clear, and so on, and there are also people who are like chess, and governing the country is like a game.
<h1>About the chessboard, the chess pieces</h1>
Today,there are 32 chess pieces, 1 black and red chess piece each, 2 each of the car, horse, cannon, elephant (phase), and soldier (shi), and 5 pawns (soldiers).
In the middle of the chessboard, the words "Chu River" and "Han Jie" are written, and the chessboard is divided into two equal parts, which is a metaphor for the "Chu-Han War" in history.
In 203 BC, when it was in the period of the Chu-Han struggle for hegemony, Liu Bang sent troops to attack Xiang Yu, and Xiang Yu was short of food and soldiers, and was forced to put forward the demand of "dividing the world in the middle, cutting the gap to the west for Han, and the east as Chu", and since then there has been a saying that the Chu River Han boundary has been said.
And now the boundary river marked on the chessboard is the "chasm" between the two cities that was about 300 meters wide when Liu Bangxiangyu confronted each other.
Nowadays, Chinese chess has become one of the sports projects after being officially approved by the national sports administrative department, and national competitions are held almost every year.
Although chess has been passed down for thousands of years from ancient times to the present, it is all related to the political system of feudal society and is almost a microcosm.
For example, the arrangement of chess pieces, the pawns in front, and the general in the most central position, all play chess around the protection of the general. Including the loss of the car, the abandoned car to protect the marshal and so on.
The idea of Chinese chess originates from the I Ching and has a great connection with Taiji Bagua, in other words, Chinese chess is another embodiment of Taiji Bagua. The highest realm of chess is to embody a "peace" character, and with harmony as precious, Chinese chess can best embody the traditional Chinese virtues of benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, etiquette, faith, and loyalty.
References: "Yangzhou Painting Record", "Xiangqi Live", "Shilin Guangji", "Xiangqi Origin Flow Examination", etc