Among the sports that have been popular in China since time immemorial are soccer (cuju), polo (maqiu), a type of hockey (daqiu), various martial arts (wushu), Chinese boxing (quanshu), sword exercises, archery, and shadow boxing (taijiquan), rowing contests (jingdu), and many more. Traditionally, these sports were played only by a small elite. The introduction of Western sports to China since the second half of the 19th century occurred through the influx of missionaries, Western traders, diplomats, and officials, especially in the cities of th…