The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was a feast for Chinese culture, from the emblem “Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing,” to the calligraphic pictograms that own the reputation of “the best Olympic pictograms.” Elsewhere the Games medals, “gold inlaid with jade” showing the tradition Chinese value, added with the lucky clouds on Beijing Olympic torch gave a Chinese flavor to the Olympics. Finally, the blue and white porcelain and embroidery decorated in subway stations gave commuters some of that special Chinese spirit to their daily lives.
As an ancient sports country, China is inextricably tied up with the Olympic traced in historical allusions.
Sword of Goujian
Goujian was a famous emperor in Chinese history who reigned over the Yue State during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476BC). Although his kingdom was defeated by the State of Wu, Goujian led his army to victory 10 years later following the humiliation of sleeping on thorny firewood and eating the bile from a gallbladder every day. His story became widespread in China, and some even say that the sword is the very weapon that restored a defeated state.
Regarded as a state treasure, the Sword of Goujian was unearthed in September 1965 in Jiangling County, Hubei Province. The sword is 55.7 centimeters long with a 4.6-centimeter-wide blade and 8.4-centimeter-long handle. Each side of the blade is decorated with turquoise. On the blade near the handle, there are eight seal characters that translate to: “The Sword belongs to Goujian, the King of Yue State”.
The sharp Sword of Goujian is quite different from those used in sport fencing of European origin, which are rounded tip swords of three varying kinds: foil, epee, and sabre. In competition, the validity of a touche is determined by the electronic scoring apparatus, so as to minimize human error and bias in refereeing.
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