China, birthplace of football

China - the birthplace of football

On July 15, 2004, Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, formally announced to the world that football originated in Zibo, Shandong province, China. But not many know that the sport was originally called "cuju" in ancient China.

Cuju first appeared in the renowned ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce ("Strategies of the Warring States") compiled which described cuju as a form of entertainment among the general public.

Later, cuju was commonly played in the army for military training purposes, during the Han Dynasty.

As a way of national culture protection, cuju was listed into the first batch of China's intangible cultural heritages in 2006.

What does an ancient football look like?

Cuju, as the ancestor of football, has undergone many changes throughout China's history.

During the Tang Dynasty, the original hair-stuffed ball made out of two pieces of leather was replaced by an air-filled ball made of 8 pieces of cuspate leather, making the ball rounder and lighter.

Then during the Song Dynasty, the manufacturing skill of the football further improved. The eight pieces of cuspate leather developed into 12 pieces of better feathers, and the ball was more closely jointed together, fully round, and weighing 12 liang (600g). Moreover, at the time there were already 40 different kinds of varieties, and each had its strong points and flaws.