This is the first book to offer a comprehensive overview of the history and development of sport from the ancient to the contemporary era in China. It addresses the gap between the vibrant academic scholarship within China and the limited understanding of Chinese sport outside of the country. It opens different perspectives on Chinese sport and addresses a wide range of issues central to the development of sport in the context of Chinese culture, politics, economy, and society. It explores a diverse set of topics including the history of Chinese traditional sport, the rise of modern sport and the Olympic movement, sport and nationhood, sport and politics and international relations, sport and physical education, sport and economy and commerce, sport and social stratification and diversity, and sport leisure and tourism. It offers critical insights into the multifaceted world of China, past and present—a contribution to our collective knowledge and understanding of Chinese sport and society—and is useful reading for students, researchers, and professionals with an interest in the field of China and Chinese sport.
This Handbook has been contributed to by a team consisting of 88 leading Chinese and Asian experts and scholars with varied backgrounds of studying and working in European, North American, and Australian universities, as well as Western scholars with expertise on China and its sports system and practice. It is composed of ten parts classified by different subjects. It provides a wide lens through which to better contextualise the relationships between China and the world within the global sport community.
The Routledge Handbook of Sport in China is a vital resource for students and scholars studying the history, politics, sociology, culture and policy of sport in China, as well as sport management, sport history, sport sociology, and sport policy and politics. It is also valuable reading for those who are working in international sport policy making and sport organisations.
Part I Sports History and Tradition in Ancient China
Huang Fuhua
1. The Bodily Practice, Thoughts, and Beliefs in Pre-Qin Period (before 221 B.C.)
MA Lianzhen
2. Sport Transformation in Qin and Han Dynasties and Three Kingdoms Period
Huang Fuhua and Wang Xiaoqi
3. Sports in the Two Jin and the Southern and Northern Dynasties
Chen Xinhua
4. Sport, Physical Activity and Health in Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (581-979)
Gong He
5. Sports Development in Song and Yuan Dynasties (960-1368)
Liu Xinran
6. The Transformation of Traditional Sports in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1840)
Liu Hui and Qu Yingjie
Part II The Rise of Modern Sports and Olympics
Zhang Huijie
7. The Early Diffusion of Modern Western Sport to China
Shu Wan
8. Physical Liberation and Feminism: Women’s Sports in the Republic of China
Xiong Huan and Li Jiayu
9. Christianity and the Transformation of Physical Education and Sport in China
Zhang Huijie
10. Sporting Events and Competitions in Modern China
Wang Runbin, Wang Haiyan, and Liu Huaxuan
11. Going Global: China’s Participation in the Olympics During the Republic of China
Zhao Guobing
12. China and the Far Eastern Championship Games
Wang Yan
Part III Sports, Politics, Diplomacy, and International Relations
Zhang Muchun
13. International Sporting Bids, China, and the Relations with Its Neighbours
Marcus P. Chu
14. Sport Diplomacy and International Relations of China
Ye Wen
Part IV Sports Policy, Law, and Governance
Shushu Chen
15. Professional Football in China: The Past, Present, and Future
Qi Peng
16. The Systemic and Political Governance of Chinese Sport
Xiaoqian Richard Hu and Wu Chuchu
17. Mass Sports And Its Role In Economic Development
Xing Xiaoyan
18. School Sports and University Sports Club Development in China
Chen Xuedong
19. Chinese Sports Lottery: Development And Regulations
Chen Hongping
20. Sports Law in China
Li Zhi, Qiao Yijuan and Liu Yongping
Part V Sports and Physical Education in Schools
Patrick WC Lau
21. The Influence of Gender Identities and Development on Sports and Physical Education in China
Bonnie Pang, Jessica Francombe-Webb, Bryan C. Clift, and Emma Rich
22. A Comparative Study on the Policies and Practices of Physical Education in Schools at the Compulsory Education Stage Between China and Japan
Liu Chunyan and Zhang Donghao
23. Preschool Children’s Sports Policy Development and Health Since the Reform and Opening Up in China
Patrick WC Lau, Song Huiqi, Li Yin, and Ava Xingmeng Huang
24. From the ‘Cooperation of Sports and Education’ to the ‘Integration of Sports and Education’: The Road of Training Elite Sport Talents in China
Guo Zhen, Wang Song, and Chen Yiying
25. A Critical Assessment of Physical Education Systems in Schools
Jingxian Cecilia Zhang
Part VI Sports and Physical Fitness for the Community and Society
Feng Jing26. Sport and Physical Fitness of Senior Citizens
CAO Siyang
27. Sport and Social Stratification in Contemporary China: Migrant Workers, Citizenship, and Sport Rights
Chen Jiaming
28. Sport Participation of Ethnic Minorities
Daniel Lemus-Delgado
29. Sport Policy and Development for the Masses: A Historical Overview
Feng Jing
30. China’s Selection System for Disabled Athletes and its Advantages
Guan Zhixun, Sheng Xinxin, and Wang Jing
31. Gender Politics and Women’s Sports Participation in the People’s Republic of China
Xiong Huan
32. Sports Participation Among Children and Adolescents
Zhan Enyan
Part VII Elite Sports Development, Chinese Character, and Nationalism
Zhang Ling33. China at the Asian Games: Progress and Prospects
Yuan Shuying
34. Athletes Development in China: The Success and Challenge
Guan Zhixun, Cheng Xiaoxue, and Sheng Xinxin
35. Flying the Flag at the Olympics: Representing Nation Through Elite Sports Space
Zhang Ling
36. The Commercialisation and Professionalisation of High-Performance Sports
Jin Hyunju
37. The Effects of Hosting the Olympic Games in China: From Host and Non-Host Cities’ Perspectives
Meng Ting
38. Social Media Marketing in China
Bo Li and Brody J. Ruihley
39. The Naturalization of Athletes in Mainland China
Tobias Ross
40. Inheritance and Enrichment: The Cultural Heritage of Beijing Olympic Games
Zhong Yuting
Part VIII Sports Economy, Commerce, Business, and Management
Min Ge
41. Sport Commerce and Event Management in the Global Commodity Chains
Aurelien Boucher
42. The Promotion of Rural Revitalization in China through Grassroots Sports Social Organisations
Chen Congkan,Wang Sibei, and Liang Ming
43. Sport Economy and Urban Development
Feng Jing
44. Leisure Sports in China: Policy and Practice
Su Xiaoyan, Shi Qing and Liu Yiwei
45. Generation Z Consumers and New Trends in the Chinese Sports Industry
Xue Wei
46. "An Art of Regrets": Creativity and Constraints in Olympic Documentary Making in China
Liang Limin
Part IX Sports in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan
Guan Zhixun
47. A Review of Taiwan Sports
Yang Haichen
48. Sports and Hong Kong’s Identity in Transition Since 1997 - Sports Played as a Binder or Not?
Liu Huaxuan and Wang Runbin
49. The Development of Sport-for-All Culture in Post-Colonial Hong Kong
Glos Ho and Edmond You
50. The Development of Sporting Culture in Hong Kong: Hong Kong Gay Games 2023
Bonnie Pang and Siufung Law
51. The Collaborative Innovation of Taekwondo Halls in the Cross-Straits Under the Background of Chinese Mainland's Taiwan Policy
Cheng ChiaChuan and Tu Chuanfei
52. Olympic Model: Consensus on Cross-Strait Sports Communicate Since the Reform and Opening Up of the People’s Republic of China
Cheng ChiaChuan and Tu Chuanfei
53. The Transition of Hong Kong Elite Sports Policy Before and After 1997
Lau Wing-chung Patrick, Zhen Cheng and Wu Wen
Part X Research Structure, Funding, and Management: Institutes, Projects,
Journals, Publications on Sports, PE, and Leisure
Zhang Jie
54. A Review of Major Publications on Chinese Sports within Western Scholarship in the 21st Century
Wang Yongshun and Lin Qisen
55. Management of Chinese Sports Science Research: Sport Science Institutes, Societies and Organizations
Ren Huitao, Wei Taisen and Zhao Yao
56. A Review of Chinese Journals, Conference Proceedings, and Publications in Sports Social Science
Yang Haichen
57. A Bibliometric Review on the Publications on Exercise and Sport Science in the Major Chinese Sports-Related Journals in the Last Decade
Liu Hongyou, Zhong Shisheng and Xu Huahua
58. Evaluation of Public Finance of Sports Science Research Projects in China——Taking the Sports Project of National Social Science Funds as an Example
Liu Wei
Biography
Fan Hong is professor in Sport Studies and executive dean of the Institute of Olympic Studies and Research of Shanghai University of Sport, China. She has worked, as a Professor, in De Montford University, University College Cork, University of Western Australia, Bangor University from the 1990s to the 2020s. She was the editor of the International Journal of History of Sport (Asia) and now is the Editor in Chief of the Asian Journal of Sport History and Culture, and editorial board member of several academic journals. Her research interests are in the areas of sports history, gender, policy and organisation, cross cultural studies, and Asian sports history studies.
Liu Li obtained her PhD at The University of Western Australia in 2016 in Perth, Australia. She studied in University College Cork, Ireland from 2011 to 2014. She is now an associate professor in the School of Sports History and Culture, College of Sports and Physical Education at Anhui Normal University. She is an editorial board member of the Asian Journal of Sport History and Culture. Her main research interests are Chinese history and sports history and culture. She has received funding for Six research projects. Two of them are supported by China’s National Philosophy & Social Science Foundation and the Ministry of Education. She has published two books in English and more than 20 book chapters and refereed journal articles in Chinese and English.
