The Ancient Chinese Games were a popular source of entertainment for the people. Not only men, even women took an active part in playing the indoor games. Several games in China emerged from war training.
Board games in ancient China were used while training militants in the battlefield. They were useful in teaching them several war strategies. Martial arts taught the men the way to fight and also how to defend themselves.
Martial Arts in ancient China:
Martial art was introduced a long long time ago in ancient China, even before the Shang dynasty started ruling the country. The credit for introducing martial arts in China goes to the Yellow Emperor. Since then it was practiced by the people. People of the Chou Dynasty practiced martial arts. Books like Art of War were written which describes various techniques and practices of martial arts.
Ancient Chinese game of Kung Fu:
Kung fu was an art developed by monks of ancient China. This art helped the monks to guard their monasteries and keep them safe from outside invaders. Bandits and looters were fought against with the help of this technique of fighting.
The Game Of Kites:
Kites were a popular game in ancient China. Kites were developed in China around 88 BC. In those days, kites were made by using bamboo and silk. Kites were used in playing kite games. Other than that, they were also used to measure distances. The ancient Chinese people used to measure signals over long distances with the help of kites. Wind movement was also tested with the help of kites.
Board Games of Ancient China:
The ancient Chinese people were fond of board games. Some of them are still popularly played by many people. GO is a game which was invented in ancient China. The ancient Chinese people started playing GO in 2000 BC. This game used to provide entertainment to the people who lived during the time of the Shang Dynasty. Othello is a simplified form of the board game GO.
In the medieval age, many people played GO. It was a fashion with the rich and powerful to play this game. The poor people of ancient China were fond of playing Xiangqi. They also played Chinese Chess. These Ancient Chinese Games played in ancient China were very similar to the modern form of chess played in India or that played in America. Xianqi is the earliest game of chess that was invented in ancient China.