{"id":163876,"date":"2013-10-10T13:57:12","date_gmt":"2013-10-10T20:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=163876"},"modified":"2013-10-10T22:38:42","modified_gmt":"2013-10-11T05:38:42","slug":"crickets-fight-chinas-national-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2013\/10\/crickets-fight-chinas-national-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Crickets Fight it Out at China’s National Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>After being banned during the Cultural Revolution, cricket fighting (\u6597\u87cb\u87c0),\u00a0a traditional Chinese pastime dating back to the Tang Dynasty,\u00a0experienced a renaissance<\/a>\u00a0in recent years. With autumn upon us, cricket fighting season is in session, and Reuters reports from the National Cricket Fighting Championships in Beijing<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

“I raise crickets as a hobby because I admire their positive spirit,” said Man Zhiguo, a truck driver who has been involved in the sport for more than 40 years. “They never admit defeat, they have a fighting spirit, so we all like them.”<\/p>\n

Man, 54, has a diverse collection of at least 70 crickets from all over\u00a0China<\/a>, some worth more than 10,000\u00a0yuan<\/a>\u00a0($1,600).<\/p>\n

[…] The insects have a lifespan of 100 days or so and are in their prime in the autumn. Every year, 25 major cities in\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0hold regional fights and the winners advance to the prestigious contests in Beijing.<\/p>\n

At the national championships, each team was allowed 35 crickets and each insect was weighed and labeled the day before the competition. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

WTVY CBS News 4 in Dothan, AL provides some visuals from the championships<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n