"Lotuses moving gracefully in the wind" and "swallows returning to nest" are phrases that evoke images of nature at its best. But they serve another purpose. They are also the names of tricks in the ancient Chinese game cuju, a forerunner of modern soccer.
A promotional event to boost the profile of cuju, the ancient form of soccer – acknowledged as the precursor to the internationally popular game – was held on Nov 24 in Beijing, with a sub event staged in the city of Jinan on the same day.
During the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Zibo municipal government are holding a series of foreign exchange and promotion activities dubbed "Visits to the origin of soccer culture".
An exchange and experience activity on cuju, a soccer-like game popular in ancient China, was held for Chinese and Qatari young people in Doha, Qatar, on Monday.
Shandong province in East China will hold a series of foreign exchange and promotions activities – dubbed "Visits to the origin of soccer culture" – during the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, according to a statement released at a news conference in the provincial capital of Jinan city on Nov 16.
