The team of Hunan Province of central China swung to the championship in the 55-kilogram weight class at the National Ethnic Games on Monday, defeating the long-reigning team of Jinlin Province from northeast China.
Different from the common impression of swinging as a leisure activity, competitive swinging involves an element of danger, as athletes strive to outperform others by reaching greater heights and touching the bells atop a raised stand with minimal attempts to secure victory.
"I thought the game would be fun. But when I tried actual swinging, I found that it was quite high, and I was quite frightened. The swinging speed is also very fast, and I have a feeling of weightlessness when I swing down. We have to train all the time, but my determination to swing high enough and touch the bells overwhelms the fear," said Shen Fei, a swinging athlete of the Jilin team.
As a game with a long history, swinging has evolved from a relaxation to a challenging sport throughout centuries. In 1986, swinging was officially admitted into the National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of China as a women-only sport, and athletes from northeast China, especially Jilin Province, have long dominated the sport.
But this year, the Hunan team managed to beat the long-standing champion and brought home the gold medal in the 55-kilogram weight class.
"Our disadvantage is that we have lower heights and lighter weight, but we are more agile and swift in our movements. So it's necessary for us to take into consideration our own characteristics in our training and reviewing," said Long Bo, coach of Hunan's swinging team.
Now, swinging has gained popularity beyond the northeast, with new swinging teams emerging everywhere in Hunan.
"The swinging sport has developed well in Hunan. Some major areas like Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, and Huaihua and Shaoyang cities have all been promoting the sport," said Long Bo.
Hunan team claims first swing championship at ethnic games
The unique sport of board-shoe racing is demonstrating the collaborative spirit and athletic prowess of China's ethnic minorities at the 12th National Traditional Games in Sanya, a coastal city of Hainan Province.
Board-shoe racing is a traditional folk sports event of the Zhuang ethnic group in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It pits teams of three athletes wearing a single pair of wooden board shoes against each other.
The interesting sport can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, when legend has it that a famous heroine used it as a way to train soldiers. It has been passed on from generation to generation since then, and has grown in popularity, attracting participants from northern provinces as well.
The sport was introduced as an official competition event in the 8th National Ethnic Games in 2007 for the first time. The event includes men's and women's three-member 60 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters racing, and 2×100 meters relay, as well as 4×100 meters mixed relay.
This year, a total of 30 board-shoe racing teams of 348 athletes from different ethnic minority groups will compete in the 12th National Ethnic Games. Athletes say the sport requires perfect coordination of the trio and concentration of each member.
"We're like a train. The member at the front is relatively more capable than the two members at the back because the locomotive drives the train faster, which is what our coach tells us. As for the two of us in the back, the person in the middle is responsible for coordination between the front and back, and the one at the end controls the forward movement of the board and the up and down movement of our legs. Each of us has our own function," said Liu Yilin, a member of Chongqing board-shoe racing team.
This seemingly simple sport actually has many challenges. The athletes need to ensure tacit cooperation while running at full speed to prevent slipping out of the shoes or even toppling over each other.
Liu and his teammates made a mistake in the middle of the heat, which resulted in Liu's ankle injury. But these athletes got back on their board shoes to finish the race.
"At that time, we were still trying to finish the game. I guess one of my nerves might have been injured, so half of my foot was numb. But I still insisted on putting my feet into the board shoes. We were determined to finish the race. I told my teammates that we should persist in the competition and respect the event and the process," said Liu.
Opened on Friday night, the grand event, which will take place through Nov 30, has gathered nearly 7,000 athletes, representing 35 delegations across China to compete in 18 sports and three demonstration sports, most of which were once unique to specific ethnic groups or regions.
Unlike modern sporting events, the ethnic games feature competitions rooted in traditional customs and the daily life of people of different ethnic groups in China.
Chinese traditional board-shoe racing highlights collaborative spirit
