Today, we'll learn a kind of special custom in China--Throwing Embroidered Ball.Throwing embroidered ball is a traditional game of the Zhuangs in Guangxi Autonomous Region. It has a long history. But originally it was a bronze weapon-Feituo used for throwing in the war and hunting. Later people had changed it into an embroidered bag to throw each other for entertainment. In the Song dynasty, it became a media to express the love between the youth of the Zhuangs. Now it is still popular in the areas such as Baise, Liuzhou, Nanning and Hechi etc. in Guangxi province. At each singing party in the traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, the Third Day of the Third Moon and the Mid-Autumn Festival etc. the youth of the Zhuangs will invite each other at the village side, the edge of the field or on the bank of the river. And then they divide them into the male and female sides. When the two sides decide their places to sing in antipho-nal style and throw the balls, they begin to ask each other in songs. The songs in-clude very rich contents of ideals, feelings and the agricultural affairs and so on. hey ask and answer while singing. One side rises and the other falls. When they sing to the most exciting moment, the girls begin to swing the balls in their hands and throw them to the boys whom they set their minds on. The boys' are supposed to have quick reaction and catch the balls right. Otherwise the others would laugh. The boys who have caught the balls will enjoy the balls for moment and then throw the balls back to the girls. After a few times the boys will tie their gifts such as the silver ornaments or coins to the balls, and throw back to the girls as gifts if the boys also set their minds on the girls. The more expensive the gift is, the deeper feeling it shows. If the girl accepts the gift it means she agrees the court from the boy and then they will continue to sing in antiphonal style to show their emotions or date to an quiet place to express their heartfelt emotions.

In recent years, after refinement the Mass Sport Bureau of Guangxi Sport Committee developed and decided new competition rules according to its features and makes It a traditional duel sport.

Throwing the embroidered ball can not only improve one's power, flexibility and speed, but also develop the moral quality to be brave, determined, self-confident and active and also temper one's spiritual sentiment. The game requires perfect skills. The diameter of the ball is 6 centimeters and It is filed wWh grains or sand and made with the cover of colorful silk. The bottom of the ball sewed with tens of ribbons of more than 10 centimeters long and weighs 150 grams. In competition, the male team and the female team stand on two sides and throw the balls into the small hole (with a diameter of 60 centimeters or toss than that) on the top of the 10-meter high wood post. The competition rules are:
There are team and individual competitions. In team competition there are five athletes in each of the male and female teams. There are five athletes to take part in each individual competition. Only individual results are counted.
Competition: the competition will last for 20 minutes. It had two halves and 10 minutes for each. In the first half the five female athletes throw the balls and the second harf the five male athletes do.

In competition, the referee will bring the athletes and the fudges together and introduce each other. Then the judges give the balls to the athletes. After one-minute practice, the athletes stand in the throwing areas of the two sides. With the preparation of the judges and the athletes, the competition begins after the whistling the referee. The athlete should pick up his or her own ball and return to hfs or her own throwing area quickly after each throw. One point for throwing the ball into the hole once. But if the athlete steps on the limit line, or out of the throwing area or use others' balls, he or she will have the deduction of one point for each wrong conducts.

After the competition, the places of the teams and the individuals In the competition will be decided according to their points. Those who worn highest marks will be listed front. If they score the same, they will have the one-minute extra period, the one who hits more times wins. If it is still a tie, one more one-minuet extara period added till the winner is determined.
 

宋朝Sòng Cháo：a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty.
春节Chūnjié：an important traditional Chinese holiday, which is the Chinese version of the East Asian New Year, which is in turn based on the Chinese new year, the origin and prototype of all other lunisolar new year celebrations in East Asia.