Culture Insider: Children's games in ancient China

The New Year painting from Qing Dynasty depicts people kicking stone balls in the yard. Collected by the Capital Museum.

Stone balls

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), kicking a stone ball around was a popular sport in the northern part of China, and it was often played in the winter to keep warm. Stones were carved into small balls and kicked along with feet.

In 1999, the sport was included in the competition item in the 6th National Ethnic Group Traditional Sports Meeting held in Beijing.