An ancient painting depicting chuiwan, or "hitting-ball" in English. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Chuiwan, or “hitting-ball”, was a Chinese ball game very similar to golf that was played during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). What are the differences between "chuiwan" and modern golf, and what were the rules?

On the afternoon of June 26, the second season of the "One Second into the Song Dynasty - A Journey to Experience Song Culture", which was held in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province, revealed the answers.

The event took place at the Wellington College International Hangzhou and was jointly organized by the Office of the Hangzhou People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Hangzhou Library. Organizers of the event interacted with the audience through live-streaming, attracting a total of 200,000 viewers.

During the event, sports anchor Dong Fang and Chen Zhiqi, founder of the Hangzhou Yuanhe Culture, led the audience into a silk painting created by an anonymous artist during the Song Dynasty and gave them a chance to experience the sport.

The painting depicts a scene in which court ladies are hitting balls into holes using bats. The artwork is skillfully designed, with lively scenes and a joyful atmosphere.

Chen explained the differences between chuiwan and golf, saying the main difference lies in the playing field. Chuiwan requires a garden-like course with undulations, steep slopes, blockades, variations in terrain, and relatively flat surfaces, while golf courses require flat terrain with uneven and rough sections, as well as hazards such as bunkers and ditches, he said.

A foreigner tries his hand at chuiwan. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]