YINCHUAN, May 19 (Xinhua) -- On the shuttlecock kick court of the 9th Ningxia Traditional Ethnic Minority Sports Games, different age groups of shuttlecock-lovers from the same company got together as competitors or audience.
Among them, 27-year-old Guo Xin cheered up loud every time his colleagues outscored.
Guo's company, Ningxia Tiandi Benniu Industrial Group is a coalmine machinery manufacturer, based in Shizuishan city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It enjoys a long history of more than half a century, so does shuttlecock kick culture among its staffs.
"I hope my team could win the champion and keep the record, because many veterans of our company used to achieve good prizes in the regional or national level shuttlecock competitions years ago," he said.
According to Guo, nine of the 13 teammates on behalf of Shizuishan city are from his company this time. Backbone of the city team as he is, he had never kicked shuttlecock before being recruited in 2011.
It was the discovery that almost all his fellows loved shuttlecocks kick that drove him to learn it with curiosity. And he hadn't expected he could kick in open competitions.
"Now I'm a member of the shuttlecock club in our company, and we kick it three times a week and four hours each time at most. It seems that the cheerfulness this exercise brings could clear all the tiredness from work," said Guo.
When Guo kept eyes tight on the court, Song Xinliang, 34, was busy checking in the athletes as a referee. He came to the company four years earlier than Guo, and his love for shuttlecock kick seems stronger too, which even drove him to get a referee's certification.
Song knows a lot about the history of shuttlecock kick in China. He said that it originated from ancient China's Jianzi, once an folk game for entertainment. But after centuries's development, it has become a competitive modern sport event that applies to football skills and volleyball rules and a badminton court.
"Shuttlecock kick in the park is beneficial for people's physical health, while in the court is of strong value of competitiveness and appreciation," Song said, adding that shuttlecock kick can be easy for both men and women from different age groups to learn and thus is popular among people.
According to him, over 80 percent of more than 2,500 staffs in Ningxia Tiandi Benniu Industrial Group like to kick shuttlecocks, therefore the company built a court for competition purpose.
"We held shuttlecock kick competition every year, and because of it, the bond between fellows seems to be stronger. Now this sports event has already become an indispensable part of our corporate culture," said Song.
At the spectator seats sat Gao Ningsheng, 68, who came as an audience in the cheerful squad to cheer up those young generations in his company. Each moment he captured skillful moves like a volley shot, he would give exciting applause.
Gao was one of the first batch of talents the company recruited in 1970. At that time, the company has another name, and shuttlecock was also not the first love for staffs.
"At first, basketball, football and volleyball were three most favorite sports among my colleagues, but shuttlecocks could be kicked anywhere by anyone, so somehow it went popular," said Gao.
Gao therefore learned it. Although he was not the best kicker and hadn't participated in any open competitions except the ones that held within the company, but he kept kicking shuttlecocks as a daily habit for over 40 years.
"The reason why shuttlecocks can be widely spread among staffs for generations is that it is easy to learn and to enhance teamwork and team cohesiveness," he said.
After retirement, Gao moved to Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, which is about 60 miles away from Shizuishan city where he lived for years.
Gao always believes he benefits from shuttlecocks for his whole life, not only does it keep himself away from little diseases, but also help accustom him to the life in the new city.
"I made a lot of friends through shuttlecocks, and after an hour-kick in the park every day, we feel happy and refreshed," said Gao.
