Current National Recognition of Sports Culture in Minority

Qin Shaoju

Guangxi College of Sports and Physical Education, Nanning, Guangxi, 530012, China

Keywords: Minorities, Sports Culture, National Recognition, Sports Power.

Abstract: Through the analysis of sports culture in minority and its national recognition, this study found channels to

strengthen national recognition of sports culture in minority. Firstly, this study analyzed current problems of

national recognition towards minority sport culture. Then the inheritance and development ways of sports

culture in minority was proposed. It was proved that within the domain of strengthening national

recognition and national cohesion, sports culture in minority could be developed with the ideas of national

sport. The innovation point of this study is the analysis of advantages and disadvantages on the development

of sports culture in minority.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the 21st century, the competition among nations is

becoming increasingly fierce. The competition

among nations is not only in hard power, but also in

soft power. In international competition, soft power

of culture has been a strategic choice to enhance

international influence and status. China is a country

with long history. The history of China forms its

profound cultural foundation. China has many

nationalities with rich cultural heritage.

2 ANALYSIS ON SPORTS

CULTURE IN MINORITY AND

ITS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

As a multi-nationality country since ancient times,

China has vast territory and coexistence ecology of

different nationalities and geographical conditions.

The space conditions directly influences the

diversity of minority culture. In particular, the local

differences of sports culture in minority are blending

in national culture (

Bai Jinxiang, 2003

). However, the

distribution pattern of a high concentration of

minorities will more or less affect cultural

recognition of the whole country.

2.1 Crisis of Sports Culture in

Minority

In China, many minorities faced national migration

which was not only physical migration but also

cultural migration. In migration, sports culture of

minority gradually changed, and there was some

discontinuity in old culture(

Bai Jinxiang, 2008

Therefore, some minorities gradually lost cultural

recognition of their own culture. Under the

background of Han culture domination, many

minorities have no longer any recognition of their

national identity and cultural unity. Although this

condition is beneficial to national stability, it is not

beneficial for the inheritance of sports culture in

minority.

2.2 Importance of Sports Culture in

Minority

Minority sports activities have already been

solutions to solve the problem of Chinese sports

culture deficiency. Past Chinese sports activities are

mainly from western countries, such as Olympic

Movement. Although these activities can help build

up strength and body, they can not demonstrate the

long history and broad content of Chinese culture. In

addition, China is short of hardware conditions (such

as gymnastics) and software conditions (such as

coaches), especially in minority nationality regions,

where people can not afford high salary of coaches.

Therefore, there are few coaches in China. The

activities of minority sports do not need too much

hardware and software facilities. People need open

space and self-designed sports facilities. Therefore,

compared with western sports events, minority

sports need more attention and development from

378

Shaoju Q.

Current National Recognition of Sports Culture in Minority.

DOI: 10.5220/0006026703780381

In Proceedings of the Information Science and Management Engineering III (ISME 2015), pages 378-381

ISBN: 978-989-758-163-2

government. From this point, developing sports

culture in minority can push the enrichment of

minority cultural life.

2.3 Relation between Sports Culture in

Minority and Its National

Recognition

If Chinese nation want to realize national

rejuvenation, comprehensive reforms are needed.

The premise of reform is the joint development of

every nationality of Chinese nation, so that minority

can enjoy the fruits of reform and opening up. In

cultural education and development, China should

make more efforts. In order to protect and carry

forward sports culture in minority, some key

linkages need to be well grasped and pushed

forward, gradually connecting minority culture to

physical education and the National Fit-keeping

Program. In addition, the resources of sports culture

in minority need to be integrated to gradually change

the ideas of minority and make them be aware of the

importance of physical exercises. Combined with the

inheritance of national festival and national

traditional culture, the national recognition of

national traditional culture can be strengthened to

enhance national cohesion and centripetal force.

3 RESEARCH ON THE

DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS

CULTURE IN MINORITY IN

CHINA

In order to develop sports culture in minority in

China, we need to analyze some subjective and

objective conditions such as environment and space

faced by national minority. Current advantages and

disadvantages of minority culture in China should be

fully analyzed and the development chances should

be grasped. For relevant changing factors, structural

analysis is needed to avoid disadvantages and grasp

good opportunities, facilitating qualitative change

and development.

3.1 Advantages of the Development of

Sports Culture in Minority

Firstly, sports culture in minoritys in China has rich

contents and forms. Chinese sports culture is

actually the integration and development of Chinese

philosophical ideas, which advocates people’s inner

spirits and ideological cultivation and emphasizes

observance as well as health protection. It is a theory

that man is an integral part of nature. For example,

Tai chi is a national physical activity with

innovation and guidance, and wrestling is an

important platform to demonstrate bravery, power

and conquest in Mongolian culture. Therefore,

traditional minority sports have some creativity and

thinking power compared with other sports events.

Secondly, with many categories and wide

distribution, minority sports are easily carried out in

daily life. Sports culture in minority is colorful and

related to the life of minorities. The number of

Chinese minority sports is incomparable to other

countries. The sports culture in minority has

different kind of adaptation to different areas and

historical stages, showing more attraction. These

activities can be adaptation to local condition,

showing more vitality in different social

requirements.

Finally, sports culture in minority has different

kinds of values. Minority sports can help physical

exercise and make contributions to physical health,

which is quite different from western exercise.

Traditional sports activities of minority can be used

as important entertainment. In addition, minority

sports have high artistic aesthetics with unique

artistic charm. Minority sports also can be used to

strengthen the national recognition of the country

and ethics, offering important cultural resources to

Chinese historical culture.

3.2 Disadvantages of Sports Culture in

Minority Development

Firstly, due to the content of ceremony, sports

culture in minority has some color of feudalism. As

most minorities worshiped witchcraft in ancient

times or some religious rites, the primary sports

culture was marked with religious belief by singing,

dancing and sports activity. Some sports activities

like Shangdaoshan, Mao Gus and Wooden Drum

have some religious cultural characteristics and

adhere to minority sports events.

Secondly, sports culture in minority is

conservative since most minorities have developed

on the basis of agricultural economy. Therefore,

sports culture in minority has comparatively

conservative patriarchal clan system and many

minorities emphasize nourishing of life. However,

with low popularization, these emphases are mainly

constrained by their patriarchal clans or ethics,

without any cross-minority exchanges. Therefore,

the deep value of a sports culture in minority can not

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be recognized by other minorities, so large-scale

transmission has not been formed.

Finally, the recognition of sports culture in

minority is insufficient. The so-called recognition, a

focal point, is minorities’ cognition of their own

national culture. The acceptance or refusal of one

culture by minorities mainly developed from the

level of consciousness. Currently, due to the

requirement of economic benefits, some minorities

have conducted large-scale of development,

especially for the enhancement of economic effects.

They have changed some cherished contents in their

sports culture and make them become popular

national shows, thus losing their original ecology

and self-recognition.

4 CONSIDERATIONS OF

SPORTS CULTURE IN

MINORITY DEVELOPMENT

UNDER NATIONAL

RECOGNITION

4.1 Grasping the Development Chances

from a Big Sports Country to a Big

Sports Power

China has already held a great sports event, the

Olympic Games. However, the successful Beijing

Olympic Games is not an end but a beginning. In the

new century, China needs to transfer from a big

sports country to a big sports power. Currently, the

development of Chinese sports culture needs to

transfer from single competitive sports to the

coordination of public sports and competitive sports,

developing the sports affaires in a wider range.

Therefore, each Chinese nationality, especially

national minority, should emphasize place sports

culture. T The development of Chinese sports affairs

should rely on both western sports activities and

traditional Chinese sports activities. For Chinese

nation, sports activities with national characteristics

are preserved better in ethnic minorities. We should

find and develop some minority sports activities into

national cultural essence, which can not only make

China a sports power, but also gradually strengthen

national cohesiveness and centripetal force, as well

as minorities’ recognition of China.

4.2 Enhancing Minorities’

Self-Recognition and the Unity of

Chinese Nation

China is a multinational country with vast territory

and long history. Therefore, the differences among

different nationality are still very large. In recent

years, some hostile forces in western minority

regions have instigated the emotions between Han

nationality and minorities under the name of

religion. These activities were actually the results of

low national recognition and self-recognition of

some minorities. In the process of promoting the

development of minorities and helping them conduct

construction of modernization, we should allow

minorities to inherit their cherished cultural

tradition. Then, minorities can have more self-

recognition and recognize the Chinese nation. The

traditional sports culture of minorities should be the

combination of tradition and modernization, so

minorities will recognize and participate in modern

sports activities and demonstrate their unique charm.

We should also popularize minorities’ sports culture

in other nationalities, facilitating all nationalities

mutually learn good national culture and the great

development and great prosperity of Chinese sports

culture as well as national solidarity. Through sports

activities, minorities can gradually have more

recognition to China.

4.3 Protecting Intangible Cultural

Heritage and Developing Leisure

Sports

Sports culture in minority is actually an intangible

cultural heritage, and joint efforts of each nation are

needed for its protection. Nowadays, some

concentrated areas of nationalities caused severe

damages to minorities sports culture in tourism

development, which should be corrected. Therefore,

we should change development notion and

emphasize traditional sports culture under the

protection of intangible cultural heritage. Through

the combination of leisure culture and minorities’

sports culture, we can create some forms and

methods, enabling minorities’ culture to demonstrate

minorities’ influence in a wider range. With good

minorities’ sports culture, we can gradually form

national sports culture and symbol, allowing more

minorities to spread their sports culture to the whole

world. As a result, people all over the world can

recognize the colorful Chinese sports culture.

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5 CONCLUSIONS

Among the historical accumulation of Chinese

culture, sports culture is precious wealth. Statistics

show that the number of traditional sports events

preserved by Chinese nation is about 1000, and

about 700 of them belong to minorities. Thus,

Chinese are passionate towards sports activities.

With the help of sports activities, people will have

more recognition of Chinese nation and China. The

development of minorities’ sports culture can not

only protect Chinese culture, but also promote

international recognition of China, thus forming

cultural soft power. Besides, it is significant for the

construction of socialist harmonious society.

REFERENCES

Bai Jinxiang. On the Conflict with Complementary

Chinese National Traditional Sport and Western

Competitive Sport. Journal of Beijing Sport

University, 2003 (3):26.

Bai Jinxiang. Values and Angels of Minority Traditional

Sports and Cultural Cataloging. Journal of Physical

Education, 2008 (9):98.

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Current National Recognition of Sports Culture in Minority

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