10 items

Traditional Sports

Martial arts, board games, and athletic traditions that cultivate both physical prowess and mental discipline.

UNESCO Inscribed

National Heritage

Chinese Chess (Xiangqi)

China's ancient strategy board game, played by millions in parks and teahouses — a battle of wits across a river-divided board.

Northern Zhou Dynasty (557–581 CE)

Baduanjin Qigong

Eight gentle, flowing exercises combining movement and breath — China's most popular health practice for vitality and longevity.

Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE)

Chinese Wrestling (Shuai Jiao)

China's ancient martial art of wrestling, emphasizing speed and technique over brute strength — a military art turned competitive sport.

Xia Dynasty (c. 2000 BCE), oracle bone records

Chinese Kung Fu (Wushu)

China's vast martial arts heritage — hundreds of styles from Shaolin to Wudang, combining combat, philosophy, and health cultivation.

Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BCE), codified at Shaolin Monastery c. 495 CE

Cuju (Ancient Chinese Football)

The earliest form of football, recognized by FIFA — a Chinese military sport turned court entertainment over 2,000 years ago.

Warring States period (5th–3rd century BCE)

Sanda (Chinese Kickboxing)

China's full-contact combat sport blending punches, kicks, and throws — the modern fighting application of traditional kung fu.

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE)

Traditional Chinese Archery

An ancient martial art combining archery with Confucian ritual — one of the Six Arts of noble education since the Zhou Dynasty.

Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE)

Duanquan (Short Punch Boxing)

A Hebei martial art of short, explosive strikes and close-range combat — power generated from compact movements and low stances.

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE)