Naoyangsai
01 · Historical Records
Naoyang (sheep-wrestling) is a mass sports activity prevalent in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. It originated in the second year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty (1369) and evolved from the traditional "jiaodi" (ancient butting wrestling) of Xinzhou.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
According to historical records, temples within Xinzhou regularly or irregularly held grand temple fairs, where "operas were performed to thank the gods and wrestling contests were held to decide victors, becoming a widespread custom." A wrestler who successively threw six opponents in the contest would be rewarded with a live sheep used for sacrifice. Compared with formal Chinese wrestling (shuaijiao) competitions, Naoyang wrestling differs in two main ways: first, the wrestlers do not wear wrestling jackets and enter the arena bare-chested; second, the rules are simple and the referee has little authority, being almost a mere spectator in the arena. Another defining feature of Naoyang wrestling is that there is no time limit. This gave rise to a special term, "ao you" (rendering down fat), meaning that when the two wrestlers in the arena are evenly matched and the contest remains undecided for a long time, the audience's eyelids grow heavy yet they are unwilling to leave — hence the expression "ao you." Folk Naoyang contests often continued until the sky was about to brighten in the east, with spectators, men and women alike, thoroughly engrossed. Naoyang wrestling is usually held on a ground temporarily cleared at a temple fair, market, or village opera stage. The wrestlers go bare-chested, wearing shorts and a belt, barefoot or in soft-soled shoes. Matches typically begin with young wrestlers "opening the bout," with adult wrestlers taking over by stages; winners may stay in the arena for successive bouts, and one who throws six opponents in a row achieves "naoyang" (carrying off the sheep), leading away the live prize sheep on the spot. Because no wrestling jacket is worn and there are no grips to seize, leg tackles, waist holds, and trips become the keys to victory; whoever tackles the legs fastest and trips most accurately can hold the arena for a long time.
Six wins for a sheep
At the temple fairs where opera and wrestling went together, a man who threw six opponents in succession won a live sheep from the sacrifices.
No jacket, so leg holds
Unlike formal Chinese wrestling, competitors strip to the waist and the referee is almost a spectator, so gripping the legs decides the bout.
Boiling the oil: no time limit
Without a time limit, evenly matched bouts are said to boil the oil, the crowd staying till dawn without wanting to leave.
Wrestling at the temple fair
Held at the temple fairs beside the votive opera, it is one of the most popular public events of the Xinzhou countryside.
From jiaodi to the sheep contest
Dating to 1369 and descended from the old jiaodi contest, it takes its name from the winner hoisting the sheep aloft on a lap of honour.
Cui Fuhai and his book on leg holds
Born in Xinzhou in 1935, he specialised in leg holds, carried them into competitive sport and wrote a book on the technique.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The winner lifts the sheep high and walks once around the arena, paying respect to the "deities" and thanking the audience; hence the folk name "Naoyang" (in the Xinzhou dialect, "nao" means to lift up). The Xinzhou area enjoys the reputation of a "hometown of wrestling." Temple fairs in the villages and towns of Xinfu District and Dingxiang, Yuanping, and Wutai regularly set up wrestling grounds, and villages exchange visits through Naoyang contests; the more bouts the wrestlers invited by a temple fair win, the more spectators gather. Locals schedule Naoyang wrestling together with folk activities such as temple-fair opera stages and bayinhui (eight-instrument ensembles), making it one of the liveliest scenes of rural New Year festivals and temple fairs.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
This wholesome, simple competitive game has greatly enriched rural cultural life and carries high entertainment value. In recent years, as more young and middle-aged laborers have left home to work elsewhere, rural cultural activities have dwindled, and under the influence of fashionable culture, the number of people participating in Naoyang wrestling has dropped sharply; the activity now faces an unprecedented crisis and urgently needs protection. Cui Fuhai (recorded in the official archives of associated inheritors): Male, of the Han ethnicity, born in July 1935, a native of Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. A performer of Naoyang wrestling skills. In Naoyang wrestling no jacket is worn and sometimes only shorts, so there is no way to grip the opponent; only leg-tackling techniques can achieve good results, and Cui Fuhai is especially adept at a wide variety of leg-tackling techniques. While serving as a coach, he applied the masterful leg-tackling techniques of Naoyang wrestling to competitive sports, summarized and classified the techniques he had mastered, and wrote the book "Master Leg-Tackling Techniques of Wrestling in the Hometown of Wrestling" (Jiaoxiang Shuaijiao Baotui Jueji). For many years he has actively encouraged his family members and fellow villagers to take part in the contests and has diligently passed on his skills. A representative inheritor of Naoyang wrestling, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item from the third batch.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Cui Fuhai 03-1219
- Zhu Yanqing
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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