Distance

A sculpture titled "Marco Polo" is on display at "Marco Polo in China" exhibition at the Academy of the Arts of Drawing (Accademia delle Arti del Disegno) in Florence, Italy, on July 23, 2024. (Photo by Fu Xiao/ tasteallchina ) FLORENCE, Italy, July 23 ( tasteallchina ) -- A middle-aged man sits upright on horseback, gazing firmly into the distance. His bushy beard and distinctive headgear hint at his Western origin. This small sculpture, exuding a bronze sheen with simplistic yet expressive Chinese aesthetics, is at an exhibition that is currently being held at the Academy of the Arts of Drawing (Accademia delle Arti del Disegno) in Florence, Italy, and the sculpture depicts none other than the famous Italian explorer Marco Polo. Titled "Marco Polo in China," the exhibition commemorates the 700th anniversary of the famous Italian explorer's death through sculptures and paintings by Wu Weishan, the renowned international artist and curator of the National Art Museum of China, showcasing Marco Polo's journey to China centuries ago and engaging audiences worldwide. As Wu 's first solo exhibition in Florence, the exhibition features about 50 pieces by the artist, including well-known works, unfinished sculptures, and his latest paintings. The Academy, with…

Chuiwan: ancient golf In ancient China there was another sport, in which a stick was used to hit a ball. At first there were two ways to play: on horseback or on foot. The first resembles polo, a sport as popular as cuju in the Tang Dynasty. The second is like field hockey today, a highly competitive contest calculated by the number of goals. In the Song dynasty, a new method, called Chuiwan (捶丸), was invented. There were two main differences between chuiwan and the previous game: first, the ball was not hit into the goal but into a hole; second, direct confrontation was changed to indirect confrontation. The game of chuiwan consisted of two teams hitting the ball with a stick into the holes previously dug in the ground. Those who hit the ball the least number of times to get it into the holes or those who had the most goals were the winners. Chuiwan can be played individually or as a team. The distance between the batter and the holes differed from 10 to 20 meters. When one hit the ball and got it into the chosen hole in three strokes, one won a point. The sticks…