Sport and Physical Education in China Sport and Physical Education in China contains a unique mix of material written by both native Chinese and Western scholars. Contributors have been carefully selected for their knowledge and worldwide reputation within the field, to provide the reader with a clear and broad understanding of sport and PE from the historical and contemporary perspectives which are specific to China. Topics covered include: ancient and modern history; structure, administration and finance; physical education in schools and colleges; sport for all; elite sport; sports science & medicine; and gender issues. Each chapter has a summary and a set of inspiring discussion topics. Students taking comparative sport and PE, history of sport and PE, and politics of sport courses will find this book an essential addition to their library. James Riordan is Professor and Head of the Department of Linguistic and International Studies at the University of Surrey. Robin Jones is a Lecturer in the Department of PE, Sports Science and Recreation Management, Loughborough University. Other titles available from E & FN Spon include: Sport and Physical Education in Germany ISCPES Book Series Edited by Ken Hardman and Roland Naul Ethics and Sport Mike McNamee and Jim Parry Politics, Policy and Practice in Physical Education Dawn Penney and John Evans Sociology of Leisure A reader Chas Critcher, Peter Bramham and Alan Tomlinson Sport and International Politics Edited by Pierre Arnaud and James Riordan The International Politics of Sport in the 20th Century Edited by James Riordan and Robin Jones Understanding Sport An introduction to the sociological and cultural analysis of sport John Home, Gary Whannel and Alan Tomlinson Journals: Journal of Sports Sciences Edited by Professor Roger Bartlett Leisure Studies The Journal of the Leisure Studies Association Edited by Dr Mike Stabler For more information about these and other titles published by E& FN Spon, please contact: The Marketing Department, E & FN Spon, 11 New Fetter Lane, London, EC4P 4EE. Tel: 0171 583 9855; Fax 0171 842 2303; or visit our web site at www.efnspon.com Sport and Physical Education in China Edited by James Riordan and Robin Jones London and New York First published 1999 by E & FN Spon, 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. E & FN Spon is an imprint of the Toylor & Francis Group © 1999 James Riordan and Robin Jones, selection and editorial matter; Individual chapters, the contributors The right of James Riordan and Robin Jones to be identified as the Authors of their contributions has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Sport and physical education in China/[edited by] James Riordan and Robin Jones, p. cm.—(ISCPES book series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-419-24750-5 (hardbound).—ISBN 0-419-22030-5 (pbk.) 1. Sports—China—History 2. Physical education and training— China—History. 1. Riordan, James, 1936–. II. Jones, Robin (Robin E.) III. Series. GV651.S655 1999 613.7′0951–dc21 98–51481 CIP ISBN 0-203-47699-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-78523-1 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-419-24750-5 (hbk) ISBN 0-419-22030-5 (pbk) Contents List of figures vii List of tables viii Notes on contributors x Series’ editor’s preface xii Dedication xv Foreword xvii Note on pronunciation xix Map of China xx 1 Sport in China 1 ROBIN JONES 2 Recreation and sport in Ancient China: Primitive society to AD 960 20 MIKE SPEAK 3 The emergence of modern sport: 960–1840 45 MIKE SPEAK 4 China in the modern world: 1840–1949 70 MIKE SPEAK 5 Sport and physical education in school and university 90 ROBIN JONES 6 Elite sport 120 DENNIS WHITBY 7 Professional training 142 DENNIS WHITBY, ZHU PEILAN AND ZHANG BAOLUO vi Contents 8 Chinese women and sport 159 JAMES RIORDAN AND DONG JINXIA 9 The emergence of professional sport—the case of soccer 185 ROBIN JONES 10 China and the Olympic movement 202 HAI REN 11 Sports science 214 DENNIS WHITBY 12 Sports medicine 231 FRANK H.FU 13 Mass fitness 243 SHIRLEY REEKIE Appendix: Administration of sport 255 SHIRLEY REEKIE Index 273 Figures Map of China xx 1.1 General structure of the Chinese sports system up to 2 March 1998 16 1.2 Administrative sections of the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission in January1998 17 1.3 Structure of the Chinese sports system after 2 March 1998 18 5.1 The Chinese education system 92 9.1 Graph comparing the number of Asian countries with all countries taking part in the preliminary and qualifying rounds of each World Cup, 1930–94 187 10.1 Comparison of research papers and introductory articles 209 12.1 Silk painting of ‘Daoyin’ found at the grave of Emperor Ma (475–221 BC) 233 12.2 Wu Quan Xi—postural exercises imitating animals 234 12.3 Ban Duan Jin—postural exercises 235 12.4 Tai Chi Quan 236 Tables 1.1 Chronology of change, 1978–98 5 1.2 Results of drugs tests in China, 1997 7 5.1 Kinds of key and non-key schools in China 91 5.2 Transfer rates from middle schools to universities, vocational schools and work 93 5.3 National age group standards—female, 9 years 95 5.4 Points awarded for standards achieved in official competition 96 5.5 Middle school PE standards for ‘graduation’ 96 5.6 National Age Group Norms, male, 18 years 97 5.7 Standards for transfer from junior to senior middle school 98 5.8 Overall content of a key middle school timetable 101 5.9 Courses followed by PE students at East China Normal University 106 5.10 Elective courses for PE students at East China Normal University 107 5.11 Fitness test record for students at special sports schools 111 8.1 Chinese women’s and men’s contribution to China’s results in the summer Olympics, 1984–92 162 8.2 China’s performance at the winter Olympics, 1984–92 162 8.3 Numbers of male and female competitors in Olympic teams, 1988: countries with established sports traditions 163 8.4 Chinese women’s comparative contribution, 1988 and 1992 summer Olympics 163 8.5 Respective numbers of male and female professional coaches, 1990 177 9.1 World Cup preliminary and qualifying rounds 1930 to 1994—Asian countries taking part 188 9.2 FIFA-Coca Cola world soccer rankings 189 9.3 Structure of the Chinese professional soccer league, 1996 189 9.4 Soccer clubs and national teams playing in or against China in recent years 192 Tables ix 9.5 Country of origin of overseas players in Japanese J-League, August 1996 198 10.1 Summary of China’s participation in the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th Olympic Games 207 10.2 Content change of Olympic studies in China in different periods 209 13.1 Test items for young people in the National Fitness Standards 248 13.2 Test items for adults in the National Fitness Standards 249 Contributors Frank Hoo-kin Fu is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Director of the Dr Stephen Hui Research Centre for Physical Recreation and Wellness, Hong Kong Baptist University. He is the author of The Development of Sport Culture in the Hong Kong Chinese (HKBU Press, 1993) and is a recognized international authority on sports medicine in and outside China. Dong Jinxia is an ex-Chinese gymnast who now coaches the Chinese women’s national gymnastics team, as well as lecturing at the Beijing Sports University. She has been conducting research into ‘Society, Women and Sport in Modern China’, and is registered for her doctorate at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Robin Jones is lecturer in sports studies at Loughborough University and is the United Kingdom’s leading expert on Chinese sport. He has travelled extensively in China, taught PE and sport for a number of years in Singapore, and has written on many aspects of sport and PE in China. In his introductory chapter, he sets the tone for our book in maintaining that, to understand the contextual position of sport in China—its ‘Chineseness’—demands a much fuller awareness of Chinese culture, conditions and values, and that is a complex task. Shirley Reekie was trained in sports studies in England, but teaches international PE and sport at San Jose State University in the USA. She is a competitive rower and sailor, and has made sport in China a special research topic, having spent several months living in China (Fujian Province). She is President of the International Society for Comparative Physical Education and Sport. Hai Ren is a professor at the Beijing University of Physical Education where he is also Director of the Centre for Olympic Studies and is widely known, Contributors xi both within and outside China, for his work in this field.