Children's Games in Ancient China
Unlike the children nowadays, the children during ancient times didn't have smart phone, iPad or computer to entertain(娱乐) themselves. Let's take a look.
Flying kites
Kites have quite a long history. The earliest kites were made of wood, instead of paper. Nowadays, the three most famous kites are the Beijing kite, Tianjin kite and Weifang kite. For example, the swallow-shaped kite is a well-known Beijing style.
Playing hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek is a traditional game for children, popular around the nation. Even nowadays, many children like playing it. There are two ways to play. One way is covering a child's eyes while other kids run around to tease(戏弄) him.
The closest thing to watching a film or television for entertainment during ancient times was going to see a shadow play. Folk artists manipulate puppets behind the screen, narrating stories and accompanied by music.
Setting off firecrackers(鞭炮)
Firecrackers have a history of more than 2,000 years. It is said that there was a beast (野兽)named Nian in ancient China. After gunpowder was invented, it gradually replaced the bamboo joint cracker. Crackers are still set off during Spring Festival to symbolize auspiciousness(吉利).
A. Watching shadow plays
B. Each of them has special features.
C. Different materials are used to make the kite.
D. Shadow plays were the popular entertaining form in ancient times.
E. And to scare off the beast, people burnt bamboo joints to make it blast.
F. More commonly, participants hide and one child must try to find them.
G. Instead, they came up with(想出) interesting games to play in their childhood.