On August 10, the fourth edition of the “Daizhou Yellow Wine Cup” Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition continues in Daixian County, Shanxi Province, with the event now past its midpoint and matches progressing in an orderly fashion.
In recent years, grassroots sports have flourished, and a variety of local tournaments have emerged across China. One such event, the Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item rooted in the borderland culture of the Yanmen Pass, has gradually developed into a unique “village wrestling” IP. This is achieved through its deep historical foundation, zero-barrier entry, and purely folk competitive nature, which together promote the deep integration of intangible cultural heritage and grassroots local sports.
The Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition has a history spanning over a thousand years, originating from the training tradition of “embedding soldiers among the people” during the Song Dynasty, when the Yang family guarded the Yanmen Pass. In ancient times, local soldiers and civilians engaged in bare-handed wrestling training on barracks and field grounds to enhance physical fitness and combat skills. As times changed, this wrestling technique gradually integrated into folk activities like temple fairs, autumn harvest celebrations, and neighborhood gatherings, with its influence spreading to areas surrounding Daixian County.
In the local Daixian dialect, “catch” (挠) means “to carry or lift.” The competition uses a live sheep as the highest prize; a wrestler who wins six consecutive matches can carry the sheep home, hence the name “Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling.” The event, after being popularized during the Ming and Qing dynasties, passed down through modern times, and systematically protected in the contemporary era, has preserved its original competitive mechanism and been successfully included in the national intangible cultural heritage list, becoming a vital carrier of borderland folk culture.
Unlike the selection model of professional sports, the Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition has a zero-barrier entry system, with no age, weight, or gender restrictions. Spectators can sign up to compete on the spot, making it common to see elderly participants in their 60s wrestling alongside young athletes, and female wrestlers competing against men. This allows for full age-group participation in the competition, broadens the channels for nationwide fitness, and boosts the enthusiasm of grassroots citizens for sports.
As a living intangible cultural heritage project, the Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition is rooted in folk life, unlike the staged or exhibition-oriented forms of heritage dissemination. While most domestic wrestling competitions adopt professional, weight-class-based standards, the Catch-the-Sheep event retains its original model of impromptu participation, non-class-based competition, and folk-inspired rewards, making it a highly recognizable cultural symbol for Daixian County.
The event runs from early July to late August, starting at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and often continuing until early morning. Over the course of the tournament, more than 600 wrestlers take turns competing, with nearly 10,000 people attending a single match offline, and online live-stream views exceeding one million.
Li Dongdong, director of the Daixian Sports Development Center, stated: “The Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition has become the most popular, most widely participated, and most beloved sports activity in Daixian County. Every time the tournament starts, people from surrounding villages gather at the venue to cheer and watch, filling the air with a sense of vitality, warmth, and the spirit of daily life.”
After centuries of inheritance and accumulation, the Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition has evolved from a traditional temple fair folk activity into a stable, high-energy, and widely participated sports event. To continue the intangible cultural heritage lineage and nurture future talent, the Daixian County Wrestling and Judo Association regularly conducts youth training programs, teaching children and teenagers the techniques and folk knowledge of Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling. An increasing number of young people are leaving their classrooms and entering the competition arena, actively competing and passing on the skills, injecting youthful energy into this ancient heritage.
As the event's influence grows, the Daixian Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition now not only covers the county's population but also attracts tourists and sports enthusiasts from other regions to watch and participate. Local businesses are involved in sponsorship, and local cultural troupes perform on-site, adding vitality to the regular operation of the event. This collective effort ensures the folk competition remains dynamic and sustainable.
Currently, Daixian County is using the event to revitalize intangible cultural heritage, empower rural areas through sports, and leverage the popularity to promote local agricultural industries like Daizhou Yellow Wine. The Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition has achieved a win-win-win scenario for cultural heritage, national fitness, and industrial development. The regular holding of the event brings the borderland folk culture of the Yanmen Pass out of historical records and into the lives of the people, improving the county's national fitness system and building a positive development pattern that integrates heritage into daily life, popularizes sports, and localizes grassroots events.
Looking ahead, Daixian County will continue to deepen the integration of local sports and intangible cultural heritage, standardize the operation of the Catch-the-Sheep Wrestling competition, and expand the team of heritage inheritors. This will allow the unique “village wrestling” intangible cultural heritage to continuously release the value of local sports events, driving high-quality development of the county's national fitness cause through a distinctive sports IP.