Ancient paintings depict Chinese forerunners of Olympic sports

Jiju: ancient polo

Emperor Xuanzong of Ming Dynasty at Leisure collected by the Palace Museum, portrays the scene of jiju. [Photo/Artron.net]

Jiju is a sport which uses a stick to hit balls while riding on a horse, pretty similar to modern polo. It was popular in the royal court and among common people in the Tang Dynasty. There were many fields for playing polo in the court and it was also a major military training program in the army. Polo playing can be seen in many murals in Tang Dynasty coffin chambers.

The game was still quite popular in the Yuan Dynasty and began to decline in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The game was forbidden by the rulers during the early Qing Dynasty, and has never regained its popularity.

A mural from a Tang Dynasty prince's coffin chamber depicted the scene of playing ancient polo. [Photo/Artron.net]