Wooden ball passes on in a family for three generations

The Chinese traditional sports have their dedicated successors. As for the family of Ding Wen, wooden ball has passed on for three generations.

"Come on," the 82-year-old Ding cheered up for the wooden ball team from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, competing at the 10th Chinese Ethnic Games on the playground of Ordos First Middle School on Monday.

"My son-in-law is the coach. My grandson is the player. And I'm the cheer man," said Ding, sitting on the stand with his eyes staring at the game tightly.

Wooden ball, originated from Ningxia, was played by the shepherd boys at the wild with their whipstocks at first, and the ball was made from wools. Then, the woollen ball was replaced by wooden one as it was more sturdy and durable.

"When I was a teenager, I always played wooden ball with my friends at the alleys near our homes," recalled Ding. "That's our happiest time everyday."

Since enrolling in the army, Ding rarely had the chance to play his favorite game of childhood, but his son-in-law Ma Jianguo was able to carry on his wooden ball life thanks to the ethnic games.

"I have been involved in the sport for 20 years," said the 54-year-old retired PE teacher. "This is the sixth time I took part in the ethnic games. The first two times I was a player, then I became a coach. I'm high-spirited whenever I talk about the wooden ball."

At the ethnic games, a wooden ball game is played by two teams, each with five players using the bats in their hands to pass, pick, dribble, scramble or shoot the ball.

Ma said, teams from other regions often came to ask him for advice and he was willing to tell them all the skills and tactics of wooden ball. "I only hope that more and more people can be involved in the sport so as to pass it on."

In recent years, Ningxia has been working hard to preserve this traditional sport. The first wooden ball base for Ningxia's middle school students was set up in Yinchuan High School in 2007. Later, some colleges such as Ningxia University also established bases for cultivating players of wooden ball.

Nowadays, there are wooden ball tournaments in Ningxia's middle schools and there are wooden ball classes in some elementary and middle schools.

Ma felt relieved as more and more young people became interested in wooden ball. His son Ding Malong even quit his job for taking part in the ethnic games.

"I will try my best to help my father to introduce wooden ball to more areas," said the 27-year-old Ding. Endi