Archive for category Entertainment
Lu Ban Lock
Posted by sharon in Entertainment on August 24, 2010
Lu Ban Lock, also called Six Interlocking Blocks, No Way Out and Trouble Blocks etc, is one of the traditional intellective toys in ancient China. It was invented by Lu Ban, a famous carpenter during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC~256BC).
There spread an interesting legend about the origin of Lu Ban Lock. The legend goes that, Lu Ban wanted to test whether his son was clever or not. He made a detachable toy with six strips of wood and asked his son to separate it and then put these strips of wood back together. After a whole night work, his son succeeded in doing that. The toy was called Lu Ban Lock by later generations. However, it is just a legend. In fact, the lock first originated from the tenon structure in ancient Chinese architecture.
Lu Ban Lock consists of six rectangular rods with slot within and is divided into three pairs of rods, with each pair perpendicular to the other two pairs. The rods intersect with each other but they are also interlocked so they are not easy to put back together. The lock can be made of wood, bamboo, ivory, brass, etc.
There are different kinds of Lu Ban Locks. Most of them are easy to separate and difficult to put together. When assembling, you should observe and think carefully to learn its internal structure.
In ancient times, the lock was popular for a period of time. Nowadays, it gradually won recognition from more and more people again due to its advantages in relaxing, developing brainpower, etc.
The Game of Go – Weiqi
Posted by sharon in Entertainment on July 26, 2010
The Game of Go, called “Weiqi” in Chinese, is known as one of the Four Arts of the Chinese Scholar.
It has a long history of more than 3,000 years in China. It was said that the Game of Go had been invented by Yao (the ancient China legendary emperor). According to the ancient documents, the game became popular during the period of Spring and Autumn Warring States (770BC- 221BC). Since the Tang Dynasty (618～907), it gradually participated in the cultural exchanges between China and other parts of the world.
Go was regarded as one of the most challenging and intellectually stimulating board games in ancient China. Therefore, it was quite popular among people from all walks of life, especially the scholars and the nobles. People believed that it could cultivate their moral character, edify the moral consciousness, code of conduct, aesthetical interests, the way of thinking, etc.
This strategic board game is played by two people who alternately place black and white pieces on the vacant intersections of a grid of 19×19 lines. The rule of the Game of Go is simple, but it is really hard to master the essence. However, it still widely loved by people from all parts of the world, especially people from China, Japan, Korea, etc.
Cricket Fighting
Posted by sharon in Entertainment on July 21, 2010
Cricket fighting, also called Qiuxing or Dou Cuzhi in Chinese, is a form of entertainment in ancient China. Ancient Chinese played it for seeking fun from the fighting of crickets.
Cricket fighting has a long history in China which can date back to the Tang dynasty (618 – 907A.D.). During the Song dynasty (960 – 1279A.D.), it became a popular form of entertainment. Later, it continued to flourish in Ming and Qing Dynasties (1616-1911).
In order to win, ancient Chinese would feed their crickets with controlled diets to keep them in fighting shape. There were even books taught how to find better crickets, how to diagnose various diseases of crickets.
Yard grass stalks were used to stimulate the crickets to fight. Generally speaking, the whole battle would last only a few minutes. However, for some powerful ones, the fighting would last about half an hour.
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