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Guanniu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guanniu
掼牛
StatusActive
Genrebull wrestling contest
BeginsSong dynasty and Yuan dynasty
CountryChina
FounderHui people

Guanniu (simplified Chinese: 掼牛; traditional Chinese: 摜牛; pinyin: guan niú), also known as Chinese bullfighting[1] or Chinese-style bullfighting,[2] is a form of bull-wrestling contest held in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China. It is also known as Hui bullfighting (回族斗牛).[3] because it originated among the Hui people.[4] The word guan means throwing, dropping, or tossing,[5] and niu refers to cattle, so guanniu translates literally as 'wrestling with a bull'.[6]

Guanniu began in the Yuan dynasty and originated in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, among the Hui people.[4] Local men would test their strength against bulls weighing as much as 400 kg (880 lb). Contestants must force a bull on the ground with their bare hands within three minutes.[7] Unlike Spanish-style bullfighting, which ends with the killing of the bull, guanniu traditionally ends when the bull is thrown down.[8]

On May 23, 2011, Jiaxing Guanniui (嘉兴掼牛) was listed on China's National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.[9]

History

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According to Hui tradition, long ago in a Hui settlement of nearly a thousand families, they slaughtered hundreds of cattle every year during the Eid al-Adha.[10] Every time the cattle were slaughtered, they were herded together and four or five young and strong boys worked together with ropes and sticks to tie the cattle down. One time, when tying a large bull, a young man was injured by the bull and died soon after, causing much sorrow in the village.[11] The next year, when Eid al-Adha was celebrated, a young man knocked down the bull without the help of others. The villagers were full of praise for this and spread his story widely.[12] Under his influence, every year at the Eid al-Adha, many young men came to fling the bull one by one. Starting the annual guanniu event performed by the Hui people at the Eid al-Adha.[13]

According to Jiaxing historical records,[14] guanniu originated during the Song and Yuan dynasties.[15] It was originally a traditional activity of the Hui people in China.[16]

Performances and competitions

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In the 1920s and 1930s, martial artists competed in guanniu events to feed their families, usually performing the contests in entertainment venues.[17] In 1982, Chinese athlete Han Haihua (韩海华) brought guanniu to audiences at home and abroad for the first time at the Second National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of the People's Republic of China.[18]

In June 2012, the First "China Guanniu" National Invitational Tournament (首届"中国掼牛"全国邀请赛) was held in Nanhu District, Jiaxing City.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Meet China's kung fu bullfighters - Inkstone". Inkstone News. Sep 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Inside China: Welcome to Guanniu, the art of Chinese bullfighting". South China Morning Post. 20 Oct 2018.
  3. ^ "中国的掼牛 不伤害牛的斗牛运动". CCTV.com. 2019-08-30.
  4. ^ a b ""掼牛":人和牛的摔跤比赛". China Daily. 2016-06-10.
  5. ^ Wang Ying (1 January 2017). Western Ethnic Festivals in the Perspective of Cultural Consumption. Yunnan University Press. pp. 95–. ISBN 978-7-5482-3012-0.
  6. ^ "试试看!你是否力大如牛". People's Daily. 2017-06-30.
  7. ^ "Men wrestle with 400 kg bulls in Zhejiang". gbtimes.com. 2013-06-18. Archived from the original on 2014-12-30.
  8. ^ "赤手空拳斗大牛 中国「掼牛」列文化遗产". See Hua Daily News. 2019-01-19.
  9. ^ "非物质文化遗产保护视野下"嘉兴掼牛"的保护与传承研究". 2012-01-19. S2CID 223221582.
  10. ^ Chinese Minority Custom History. Publishing House of Minority Nationalities. 2006. ISBN 978-7-105-07085-5.
  11. ^ Tian Ye; Ma Xiaojing (1999). 100 Chinese Folk Food Customs and Athletics. Guangxi People's Publishing House. pp. 364–. ISBN 978-7-219-03924-3.
  12. ^ Ningxia Hui History and Culture. Ningxia People's Publishing House. 2004. ISBN 9787227027379.
  13. ^ Luo Yunxi (1994). Hui Nationality Customs Record. Sichuan Nationalities Press. ISBN 978-7-5409-1388-5.
  14. ^ "Bullfighter tumbling bull performance in E China". People's Daily. October 11, 2017.
  15. ^ "The art of Chinese kung fu bullfighting". South China Morning Post. August 31, 2018.
  16. ^ "Kung Fu Bullfighting? Zhejiang Jiaxing's Guanniu is listed as cultural heritage". Apple Daily. 2019-01-18.
  17. ^ "掼牛:中国式斗牛". China.com.cn. 2018-09-12.
  18. ^ "2017年第六届中国"掼牛"争霸赛来袭". People's Daily. 2017-06-15. Archived from the original on 2017-06-22.
  19. ^ "首届"中国掼牛"全国邀请赛开幕". jx.zjol.com.cn. 2012-06-03.