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Once popular sports in ancient capital Xi'an

As the capital of 13 dynastiesthroughout Chinese history, Xi’an has never been far from sports.

Cuju:Origin of modern soccer

Cuju first appeared in the ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce,which described cuju as a form of entertainment.       Later,cuju was played in the army for military training purposes. The earliest record of women cuju players can be traced back to the Han Dynasty.Cuju was listed into China's intangible cultural heritages in 2006.

Jiaodi:Chinese-style wrestling

Sumo,known as Japan's "national sport",actually originated in ancient China.Sumo was called jiaodi in ancient times.Jiaodi was performed by athletes wearing ox horns and wresting with each other. In the Tang Dynasty,jiaodi was part of military training and a kind of entertainment and athletic sports.

Jiju:Ancient polo

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 Tang Dynasty. And it was also a major military training program in the Anny. There is a famous painting unearthed in a prince tomb in Shanxi province in 1971,which shows more than 20 men riding on horses playing polo.

The origin of archery was closely related with hunting and defense.Ancient archery was not only an athletic event and a military trainingprogram, but also part of education. In Zhou Dynasty. the archery was listed as one of the Six Arts.During the Tang Dynasty,archery was an important part of the Wuju Imperial Examinations, and five kinds of archery skills would be tested, including on-horse shot and flat shot.

21.Which sport is mentioned to be played by women?

A.Jiju.                          B.Jiaodi.                       C.Cuju.          D.Archery.

22.What can we learn  about ancient archery?

A.It was applied to education.

B. It was similar to modem polo.

C.It originated from horse riding.

D. It was only performed by athletes.

23.What do the four sports have in common?

A.They are ball games.

B.They had a military purpose.

C.They date back to the Tang Dynasty.

D.They were listed into China's cultural heritages.