The Chinese football was originally a round bag of leather stuffed with hair, or as a poet described made into a ball fod it was filled with air. fate a football," observes a Cainese writer, "scorns easy, but is really. difficult. The bull must not be vary' hard, or it will be too bounty, and the full force cannot be used in kicking. Neither must f be very flabby, or you result, and the ball will not travel when leked. It should be about this will be found to hit off the meat As to the game itself, we read. "Two long bamboos were set up. several tens of feet in height, and ith a silken net stretched across, over which the ball had to be kicked. The players formed themselves. into two parties, and the game was decided by points."
When played on the Emperor's birthday, before "adorned with gaily coloured silks."
There were over 0 different kinds of kicks, and the following quaint bdoy should be straight as a pencil: the bands hanging down, as thong' carying things; there should be great elasticity of movement; and the feet should be as though jumping or skipping."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.