A glimpse of ancient winter sports through a 'bingxi' painting

As the 9th Asian Winter Games unfold in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, ice and snow sports are taking center stage. Yet, long before modern competitions, China had its own rich tradition of winter sports—Bingxi , or ice play.

As a cultural predecessor to today’s ice competitions, Bingxi, or ice play share similarities with modern winter sports like figure skating, ice hockey, and speed skating.

Bingxi as a form of performance for the court began in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and reached its peak during Qing (1644-1911). Each year after the winter solstice (in late December), grand ice festivals were held for the enjoyment of the royal family.

A bingxi painting in the collection of the Palace Museum depicts scenes of bingxi during the Qing Dynasty. A closer look at the painting will show that there are many similarities between how ancient Chinese people enjoyed frolic on ice and modern day competitive sports.