The Functions, Characteristics, and Contemporary Educational Implications of Sports Culture in the Eight Warring States

Abstract

The The Warring States period (475-221 BCE) represents a crucial stage in the formation and maturity of traditional Chinese sports culture. This study systematically analyzes the composition of sports activities, their underlying ideological content, and the multi-layered social functions that emerged during this dynamic historical era across the Eight Warring States (Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, Qin, and Zhongshan). Drawing extensively upon both archaeological discoveries and transmitted classical literature, and adopting the theoretical frameworks of Cultural Function Theory, Cultural Ecology, and historical comparative analysis, the research reveals that the sports culture of this period displayed four dominant characteristics-militarization, leisure and entertainment, health preservation, and broad popular participation. These cultural characteristics embodied a comprehensive functional system that integrated military training, moral education, and social recreation. The value of sports during the Warring States period was manifested through three core dimensions: safeguarding national defense through organized military sports; fulfilling spiritual and emotional needs via entertainment, competition, and ritual performance; and promoting physical and moral education through the combination of ritual, discipline, and martial spirit. Ultimately, this study highlights the profound historical significance and contemporary relevance of Warring States sports culture. It provides a theoretical foundation and empirical reference for China’s modern “Sports Power” and “Mass Fitness” strategies, offering valuable insights into the integration of traditional cultural inheritance with current sports education reform and national fitness development.