The Chinese yo-yo has a history reaching back two to three thousand years. Cao Cao 曹操 Cáo Cāo (155 - 220 AD), a famous general and poet who lived during the Three Kingdoms era, wrote a poem called "Kongzhu Fu" 《空竹赋》or Chinese yo-yo composition.
It is great exercise, but it can also be used as a form of relaxation. The gentleman on the first page was almost meditative and appeared to make moves more like taijiquan. The players above and below demonstrate that it is a full body exercise. Our own yo-yo is an adaptation of one from the Philippines. It may have had roots to the Chinese version, but, if so, the link is lost in antiquity. |
http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/beijing4.html
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update: July 2009
© Marilyn Shea, 2009