Pigeon racing is again taking flight in China, after centuries of fluttering between being grounded and soaring.

The practice was banned as a "capitalist pastime" in China during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) but made a comeback soon after. It went to greater heights during China's reform and opening-up in the 1980s, when there was an influx of foreign breeds in major Chinese cities.

However, although pigeon racing originated in the West, the sport has its own roots in China, where breeding is an ancient tradition.

According to historical records, pigeons are among the country's first domesticated birds. People began raising them for entertainment in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). This continued during the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, when the birds joined royal families' pet pools.

Some were trained to carry messages. They became the most reliable means of communication in ancient China because they could be easily trained to fly to a specific place.

People in today's Guangdong province began to use messenger pigeons in the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618). The practice became more prevalent in the following Tang Dynasty. Emperor Li Shimin kept a messenger pigeon that flew 285 kilometers between Xi'an and Luoyang several times a week.

Pigeon racing is believed to have first taken off in China in Guangdong at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The earliest race recorded was in 1521. A man from Chaozhou in Guangdong bought a pair of purple-feather pigeons from Central China's Henan province and took them to various races.

The pigeons didn't let him down. He used the prize money to breed and sell more racing pigeons and became rich.

Guangdong Xin Yu (The Guangdong News Records) also states that a pigeon racing association was set up in Foshan in 1644. They ran races in which pigeons had to fly three journeys - a bit like a triathlon.

In the early years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), pigeon racing became more common.

As the number of competitions increased, more breeds were created, greatly improving Chinese pigeons' traits. The best-known breeds then were the Chinese blue and pink-gray, and the Beijing dots. Pigeon fanciers in Europe and Japan began crossbreeding these with their own birds.

However, because private associations were banned in the mid- and late Qing Dynasty, racing organizations disbanded and the sport gradually faded.

It was revived in the 1930s in Shanghai and Hangzhou, when the endemic Li and Yang species were used for racing. Pigeon associations returned, and fanciers started introducing breeds from Europe, mostly from Belgium and Germany.

Following a hiatus during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), the pursuit thrived again and - after some ups and downs - has reached new heights. Exchanges with pigeon breeders in the West are the most frequent in history.

The number of pigeon owners is soaring. The Beijing Racing Pigeon Association alone boasts more than 30,000 registered members.

Passion for competition, coupled with lucrative prizes, has become the wind beneath pigeon racing's wings.

liulu@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 01/12/2014 page3)