Cricket fighting

Cricket fighting is a blood sport involving the fighting of male crickets.^[1][2] Unlike most blood sports such as bullfighting and cockfighting, however, cricket fighting rarely causes injuries to the animals.^[3] It is a popular pastime in China and dates back more than 1,000 years to the Tang Dynasty.^[3]

History

Cricket fighting was nurtured by Tang Dynasty emperors more than 1,000 years ago, and later popularized by commoners. In the 13th century, the Southern Song Dynasty prime minister Jia Sidao wrote a how-to guide for the blood sport. Jia's obsession with cricket fighting is believed to have contributed to the fall of the empire. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) China's Communist government banned cricket fighting as a bourgeois predilection, but it is now undergoing a revival among a younger generation eager to embrace genuinely Chinese pastimes.^[3]

Culture

A coffin for a prized and loved cricket on display at the Museum of Macau

Many famous hotels around Macau hold cricket fights where bets up to thousands of patacas would be waged on a single fight. Prized crickets become famous and actual funeral services would be held for them.^{[citation needed]}

Cricket season begins in summer and championships take place after the autumn equinox in late September.^[3] In Beijing, the Association for Cricket Fighting organizes cricket fighting events and championships.^{[citation needed]}

While it is illegal in China to gamble on cricket fights,^[4] the fights themselves are legal and occur in most big cities in China. Crickets are sold openly in street markets, with more than a dozen cricket markets in Shanghai alone. In 2010 more than 400 million yuan (US$63 million) were spent in China on crickets.^[3]

Care and breeding

The best crickets are from a few counties in northeastern Shandong Province.^[3] Crickets have pedigrees and would be carefully bred by knowledgeable keepers. Each cricket must be kept in its own clay pot and their diets include ground shrimp, red beans, goat liver, and maggots. Before fight night, female crickets are dropped in the pot to amp up the male's fighting spirit.^[3]

See also

• Bloodsports
• Insect fighting
• Spider fighting
• Canary fighting

References

1. ^ Cricket matches - Chinese style Xu Xiaomin Shanghai Star. 2003-09-04
2. ^ CTV: Ancient sport of cricket fighting loses popularity in China
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Chirps and Cheers: China’s Crickets Clash". New York Times. November 5, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/world/asia/chirps-and-cheers-chinas-crickets-clash-and-bets-are-made.html. 
4. ^ HK feds bust illegal cricket fighting ring

External links

• History of both singing and fighting crickets in China
• Account of contemporary cricket fighting reprinted from American Way magazine