Swinging on the swing is a common recreational and competitive activity among many ethnic groups on the land of China. According to existing literature, it originated from the pre Qin period.
The origin of the swing can be traced back to ancient times hundreds of thousands of years ago. In order to make a living, ancestors needed to climb trees to pick wild fruits or hunt wild animals. In climbing and running, they often grab onto sturdy vines, rely on the swaying and swinging of the vines, climb trees or cross ditches, which is the most primitive form of a swing. As for the swing with ropes hanging on wooden frames and pedals tied below, it existed in northern China during the Spring and Autumn period.
There is a record in "The Gathering of Arts and Literature" that "the northern mountain warriors used the swing as a play during the cold solar eclipse.". At that time, for the sake of firmness, the rope used to tie the swing was usually made of animal skin, so the traditional characters for the swing were written with the character "leather" as the radical.
Swinging on the swing will mainly be a game for women in the palace and boudoir, or a traditional festive square carnival in the future.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the palace was bustling with swings; Tang Dynasty scholar Gao Wuji wrote in his poem "Ode to the Autumn Swinging in the Rear Court of Emperor Wu of Han": "The swing represents a thousand years. Han Wu prayed for the longevity of a thousand years, so the palace was filled with the joy of swinging." At that time, swinging on the swing was mainly for the purpose of strengthening the body and health.
In the Tang Dynasty, the court referred to swinging on a swing as a "semi immortal play". Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties wrote in his note "The Legacy of the Kaiyuan Tianbao": "In the Tianbao Palace, during the Cold Food Festival, the swing was erected in competition, making the palace concubines laugh and enjoy it. The emperor called it a semi immortal play, and the citizens of the capital called it a" semi immortal play "."
The Song Dynasty saw the emergence of the "water swing". According to the records in books such as "Dream Liang Lu" by Wu Zimu of the Southern Song Dynasty, this type of acrobatic performance was held both in the Jinmingchi of Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and in the West Lake and Qiantang River of Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. During the summer water swing performance, people from the imperial concubines, nobles and ministers, to the common people, compete to watch. Before the performance, two beautifully carved large boats are placed in the water, with high swing frames erected at the bow. During the performance, the drums were blaring on the boat, and the acrobats at the stern first practiced putting on the poles. Then, the performers climbed onto the swing in order, vigorously swinging back and forth. When the swing reaches a level with the crossbeam of the swing frame, they take off the rope with both hands, jump into the air with the power of the swing swing swing, somersault in the air, and then throw themselves into the water. Due to the different postures of the performers, they appear thrilling, beautiful, and constantly changing. The water swing, similar to modern diving, is a new development of acrobatics in the Song Dynasty and holds an important position in the history of Chinese acrobatics, which has had a significant impact on future generations.
After the Tang and Song dynasties, the custom of swinging on the swing became widespread throughout the country, with unprecedented grandeur.
In the ethnic minority areas of southwestern China, there are also popular forms of swings such as grinding autumn and windmill swings.
Moqiu can be divided into two types: one is called Zhuan Moqiu, and the other is called Mo Dan Qiu. In the middle of Zhuanmo Autumn, there is a pillar with a shaft at the top, four ropes tied to it, and a ring at the end of each rope. The four people hold the ring and spin it into a play, resembling a grinding mill, so it is called Zhuanmo Autumn.
The "Ancient and Modern Art Picture" states: "This (swinging on a swing) is a play of the Northern Shanrong, performed with ease (agility)." (See Zhai Hao's "Popular Compilation" Volume 31 of the Qing Dynasty) Shanrong was a minority ethnic group in ancient northern China, located in Beijing and its surrounding areas. The swing was originally a tool for military training. After Duke Huan of Qi, the leader of the Five Heavenly Kings of the Spring and Autumn Period, led his troops to defeat Shanrong and transferred his territory to the state of Yan. The swing also spread southward and gradually evolved into a game tool.
The gameplay of Mo Dan Qiu is to take a hard wood that is 1-2 meters long and has a diameter of about 15 centimeters, fix it vertically on the field, and sharpen the top as a shaft; Choose another wooden pole that is about 10 meters long and has a diameter equivalent to a wooden pillar, chisel a groove in the middle, and place it horizontally on the top of the pillar to form a grinding pole. At both ends of the wooden pole, the number of riders is equal. After a few steps on the ground, the rider quickly rides on the wooden pole or crawls on the head of the pole. The wooden pole rotates in a grinding manner, and the two ends rise and fall, similar to the ups and downs of carrying a pole, hence the name "Mo Dan Qiu". As the wooden pole rotates and fluctuates, the landing party uses their feet to pedal the ground, increasing power and causing the pole to bounce up. In this way, the two ends of the wooden pole alternate up and down, rotating continuously.
In the autumn of Modan, the Dai, Jingpo, Miao, Zhuang, Hani, Buyi, and Gelao ethnic groups in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and other regions are prosperous, with the Hani ethnic group being the most typical.
The Hani people polish autumn mainly in May or June of the lunar calendar. May is held on the day of Xu or Hai, known as the "Year of May"; June is held on the 3rd to 5th day in the middle, known as the "June Year", and the Hani people call it the "Kuzhaza" Festival. "May Year" and "June Year" are both known as the Moqiu Festival. There is a legend in the local area about the origin of the "Year of May": in ancient times, the sun and moon could come and go, endangering crops. Alang and Achang decided to rescue their neighbors. They cut down chestnut trees to support and grind autumn, flying and carrying them up to the sun and moon. They went to great lengths to persuade them to appear regularly day and night. The ideal was realized, but the siblings were roasted to death and frozen to death on the sun and moon respectively. People evolved into festivals to commemorate them.
The windmill swing, also known as Che Qiu, Zhuan Qiu, Zhuan Zhuan Qiu, Zhuan Qiu, or Spinning Wheel Autumn, is named after its shape that resembles a spinning wheel. The structure of a windmill swing is more complex than hanging or grinding autumn. There are two wooden pillars about 3 meters high in the middle of the field, spaced about 3 meters apart. The top of the pillars is supported by a crossbeam, and a wooden cross shaped roller with a width of about 1 meter is placed in the center of the crossbeam, resembling a wheel.
There are four pairs of parallel feet on the roller, each about 2 meters long, with a short rope tied to the foot end and a wooden board tied to the rope end, resembling a swing. When playing, four people each sit on a wooden board, causing the rollers to rotate and lift up and down. When each person touches the ground with their feet, they forcefully push the ground, and with the force of three people sitting down and pulling down in the air, the swing rotates in a circular shape. When the speed is fast, it looks like a spinning windmill, and the brakes are beautiful.
In the Miao ethnic area of southeastern Guizhou, two people can sit on each seat of the windmill swing, and eight people can sit on four seats. This type of windmill swing is called "Eight People Autumn". Windmill swings are popular among ethnic groups such as Miao, Achang, and Lisu, with the Lisu ethnic group being the most typical. Most of the Lisu people who turn windmills and swings are women. During festivals, they come to compete in their best attire. Divide into several groups during the competition, with 4 people in each group, and participate in the competition in sequence. The contestants sat on the swing board with their faces facing outward, and the referee gave a command. The swing began to spin like a spinning wheel, spinning faster and faster, as if spinning a colorful ball.
In 1991, the National Minority Sports Games listed "swinging" as a performance event, and later "hanging autumn" was included as a competition event.
The swing, a folk activity with thousands of years of history, still maintains its vigorous vitality. It enlivens people's lives and provides rich specimens for folk workers.
After the Han Dynasty (206-220 BC), the swing gradually became a folk sports activity during festivals such as the Qingming Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, with the rise of various modern sports, swing sports have become a specialized activity for children in most parts of China, except for a few areas where they are still widely popular.
In February 1986, the National Sports Commission formulated the "Swing Competition Rules" (draft), and in the same year, the swing was listed as an official competition item in the National Minority Sports Games. By the 6th National Minority Games in 1999, the swing had developed into a larger event consisting of 6 individual events.
According to the regulations of the swing competition, only women are allowed to participate, and there are individual, pairs, and team competitions. The events are divided into height competition and bell touching competition. The height competition is calculated based on the highest point reached within the specified number of trial swings, while the bell touch competition is calculated based on the number of times the athlete touches the bell at the specified height and time. The competition venue is a rectangular flat ground of 20 meters x 8 meters, with a swing frame height of 12 meters and a swinging platform height of 1.3 meters. In height competitions, players have 6 attempts to swing, while in bell touching competitions, they are limited to 1 attempt.
Swinging is not only an exciting competitive sport, but also a way to exercise one's willpower and cultivate a brave spirit. Meanwhile, it is also very beneficial for the healthy development of human physiological functions.
Swinging on the swing can make people feel relaxed and happy, exercise their body and willpower, cultivate a brave spirit, and has become a special activity for children. It is commonly seen near the playground in kindergartens and primary schools, as well as in parks and amusement parks.