complementary relationship between Chinese wrestling and boxing, which,
in earliest times, were likely barely distinguishable.
During the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 B.C.), exceptional
wrestlers were selected to serve as bodyguards to accompany field com-
manders in their chariots. This tradition is vividly portrayed centuries later
in the powerful guardian figures associated with Buddhist art.
In the Record of Rituals (second century B.C.), wrestling, termed jueli
(compare strength), is described, along with archery, as a major element of
military training carried out during the winter months after the harvest.
During the Qin period (221–207 B.C.), wrestling (juedi, the accepted formal
name) was officially designated as the ceremonial military sport.
During the Former Han period (206–208 B.C.), wrestling and boxing
(shoubo[hand striking]) became more clearly distinguishable, the former
more of a sport emphasizing holds and throws, and the latter retaining the
deadlier, no-holds-barred, hand-to-hand combat skills. However, wrestling’s
full evolution as a sport with rules and limits was uneven. The official Tang
History (A.D. 618–960) mentions wrestling matches held in the imperial
palace in which heads were smashed, arms broken, and blood flowed freely.
Another trend discernible during the Former Han was the exchange of
martial arts skills between China and the nomadic peoples to the north.
One of Han emperor Wu’s (140–87 B.C.) bodyguards, Jin Ridi, a Xiongnu
(ancestors of the Mongols), used a skill called shuaihu(a neck-lock throw)
to defeat a would-be assassin. A similar term, shuaijiao(leg throw), ulti-
mately became the modern common name for Chinese wrestling. This was
also likely the period when both Chinese boxing (shoubo) and wrestling
(juedi) were introduced to the Korean peninsula through military colonies
established and maintained as far south as Pyongyang between 108 B.C.
and A.D. 313. These were the terms used for bare-handed Korean military
martial arts throughout the Koryo period (918–1392) and into the follow-
ing early Yi period.
Wrestling tournaments were grand occasions for both commoners
and the elite. Folk matches drew crowds from many miles around, while
imperial tournaments were accompanied by much pomp, with rows of mil-
itary drummers on either side of the wrestling ring. Tang emperor Zhuang
Zong (924–926) personally challenged his guests and offered prizes if they
could beat him. One individual defeated him and was made governor of a
prefecture.
Some of what we know about wrestling can be found in the Record
of Wrestling(Jueli Ji,ca. 960), the very existence of which is testimony to
the role of wrestling in Chinese popular culture. In addition to the older
terms, juediand jueli, it lists several later terms, including xiangpu,a col-
loquial form for popular folk wrestling (the term first appears between A.D.706 Wrestling and Grappling: China