Chinese Toy: Jianzi {Make Your Own Shuttlecock Tutorial}

Shuttlecock kicking, or Ti Jianzi, is a popular traditional folk game. Originating from the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), it grew in popularity over the years, with shops specializing in shuttlecocks during the Tang dynasty (608-907), and formal competitions held during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). These days it is a popular past time in China, and is becoming more popular abroad. There is even an international federation that holds world championships in shuttlecock kicking. 

Couple playing Ti Jianzi
Photo Credit: Janus Jacquet

A shuttlecock is made by affixing feathers to a weight. For hundreds of years, they have been made at home, by wrapping an ancient Chinese coin (the kind with a hole in the middle) with goose or chicken feathers. You can also buy modern versions made with plastic discs.

Shuttlecock
Photo Credit: Fang Hsieh

To play Ti Jianzi, a shuttlecock is kept in the air as long as possible by catching it with either your feet, knees, shoulders - any body part except your hands, though most often with the heel of your foot. You can play it alone, or with others, kicking it from player to player.

Make your own shuttlecock

We started off by making our Jianzi the old fashioned way: with feathers, washers (not sure where to find ancient Chinese coins) and twine. Tying it all together was a feat of imagination. Twine, twist, knot, go in, go under. I ended up doing my own, Elle's, and finishing off Pea's. We took them outside, and started playing Ti Jianzi. Although we had a great time, after about twenty minutes, the washers were hanging from the feathers, and since they were bundled together with no rhyme or reason, it was not easy putting it back together. 

So we made our new and improved versions :) using a piece of fabric to bundle it all together. This way, when it does need fixing - as any homemade toy that's been kicked about is bound to need - it will be quite easy.

You will need:

• four to five feathers
• 2 washers
• twine
• fabric, cut into a 3"x3" square

1. Tie the two washers together.
2. Wrap around the washers with twine.
3. Tie the feathers tightly together near the base with twine, leaving only a small amount of the bottom tips - you want the ends to be long enough that the bundle feels secure, yet not so they're jutting out sharply.
4. Insert bundle of feathers into the washers, place in the center of your square of fabric.
5. Gather the fabric up over the washers, and secure tightly, very tightly, with twine around the base of the feathers. I took the twine, tied it once, wrapped it around the base, tied it again, wrapped it around once more, then triple knotted it. 

Then get outdoors and play!

We "played" for over an hour, which for Pea to remain outdoors and active (other than hiking) is something close to a miracle. And by "playing" I mean attempting to kick the shuttlecock, and occasionally getting it on the first try, and sometimes even getting it with the right amount of force to the person it was aimed at. More often it zoomed past someone, sending one of us scurrying to get it. Elle's enthusiasm had her kicking it as though she were trying to kick a football across a field, and I, being the natural athlete that I am, kept covering my face and cowering when it came in my direction. When Hubby joined in, who it turns out played hacky sack as a kid, the success rate did improve, resulting in the shuttlecock remaining in the air, on occasion, for two foot strikes! 

I can see why this game was used in military exercises - it requires concentration, agility, and good hand-eye coordination. 

Clearly we need a lot of practice - and with summer coming, and knowing the girls enjoyed this so much, we will. Practice. And I'm sure it will continue to be a source of much laughter!

You can find more cultural and historical activities at the following linkups:

All Things Beautiful ; World Wide Culture Swap ; and Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop

Chengyu: Waiting by a Tree for a Hare

Waiting by a Tree for a Hare

There once was a farmer working his fields, when he saw a hare run by. The hare seemed frightened, and accidentally ran into a tree stump, breaking its neck. The farmer left his field for the day, took the rabbit home to cook it for supper. Pleased with such easily available meat, he decided that instead of working hard every day in his fields, he would sit by the tree stump, and wait for another hare to run into it. He did this for the rest of the season, waiting fruitlessly, while his fields, having been neglected, became overgrown with weeds.  

This idiom warns against waiting for luck to provide you with what you need, rather than doing what is necessary to obtain it. 

To learn a bit more more about Chengyu, or 4 character idioms, you can read our previous post Chengyu: Chinese Idioms

Chinese Idioms - Chengyu

An idiom is an expression that is not meant to be taken literally. For example, in English, we often use the expression "It's raining cats and dogs". Obviously, we don't take this expression literally, we come to learn that it means it's raining hard outside. 

Though the Chinese have many proverbs and idioms, Chengyu are formalized idioms, usually using only four characters and relating to folktales, classical literature, and historical accounts. The four characters typically state a moral, and in order to properly understand their meaning, it is important to know the story behind them. There are at least 5,000 Chengyu. 

To learn about Chinese idioms is to gain another insight into the Chinese culture, their mores, and their history. We will be learning Chengyu, and their related stories, regularly for the rest of our "year in China". I believe the insights we'll gain will highlight many universal facets of human nature within their cultural context.

Recipe - Making Chinese Steamed Buns

Yesterday, in celebration of last week's Cheung Chau Bun Festival, we made our own lucky buns, Baozi, which are sweet Chinese steamed buns.

These bread buns are most often found with one of three different filings: red bean paste, lotus paste, or black sesame paste. They're easy to find at Asian grocery stores, and store bought ones need only to be steamed to be enjoyed. It's a quick and easy snack the girls enjoy, so we have bought a few and stored them in the freezer. The girls enjoyed these homemade ones so much, in fact preferred them to the store bought ones (Elle wants to make some every week...), I don't think we'll be buying many more.

Our Weekend In a Nutshell

It's the end of our long weekend, and it's been productive and relaxing. It was an especially long weekend for us since the girls had an inservice on Friday, and we enjoyed it with our friends and family. My mother, who had been away, stopped by with my sister for a belated Mother's Day tea; my in laws arrived on Saturday and stayed with us for the weekend, and we had a barbecue Sunday afternoon with our friends. My 3 year old nephew was so much fun, and kept Pea and Elle busy and active. 

We had sunny, if not warm, weather and spent a great deal of time outdoors. Of course, with company coming, there was no longer any putting off the yard work, so we put the girls to work - Hubby and I helped out of course :)