Sunday, February 25, 2007
"Crickets were kept as pets in ancient China and Japan for their beautiful melodies. Crickets were prized as singing insects. Some crickets were kept in beautiful gold cages that only the rich could afford. Crickets were put in boxes in the bedchamber so the owner could hear a nighttime serenade. For people who couldn't afford golden cages, wooden ones were made from trees and bamboo."
"Cricket fighting was an ancient and popular form of entertainment. Crickets were prized as sporting pets. A person would select the toughest cricket they could find and place it on a special diet of seeds and small insects. Just before the contest, the cricket would be starved to increase its aggressiveness. Two starving crickets would be placed into a cage with the intent of inciting a fight to the death. The ancient Chinese delighted in placing bets on the crickets and found the contest entertaining. Today it is still regarded as a sport in modern China.
"Cricket fighting, which was very popular in ancient China, is slowly being revived. The earliest publication for how to use cricket for fighting is in Song Dynasty (1213-1275). The practice became rare after the revolution, due to its 'bourgeois nature'. Now it is making a come back. There are even Association for Cricket Fighting in Beijing. The association sponsors national tournaments whereby modern equipment such as video cameras are used to zoom in and project the fighting onto many television sets, which enable many viewers to see the fighting simultaneously," according to Zhiyong Buang."
I live for the moment when I can see televised cricket kickboxing from Beijing at my local sports bar....