Culture insider: China, birthplace of football

2. Women were also good cuju players in ancient times

The earliest record of women cuju players can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. We can see from the paintings there were girls with their hair put up, waving their long sleeves and looked chic when playing cuju.

Up to the Tang Dynasty, women players prevailed at the royal court, as emperors enjoyed watching football games. At that time, various skills were widely used in playing cuju, mainly serving as entertainment performances.

Moreover, unlike the men's game, the women's pitch did not have any goals or a set number of players. Sometimes only two women were enough for a match. Of course this match was much less intense than a men's match. It was more like a leisure game.

[Photo/Palace Museum]