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When looking at the map of China, its shape appears uncannily
similar to that of a rooster. Its head is in the North-Eastern
provinces, its magnificent tail includes Xinjiang and Tibet and
its wings spread over the resource-rich basins of the Yangtze
and Yellow Rivers. The belly of this cockerel is in the southeast,
and Hainan and Taiwan islands are its feet. The tour guide on
the Yangtze river cruise who pointed out this similarity to me
explained: “This shows that Taiwan is definitely an inalienable
part of China; a rooster doesn’t like to stand on one foot
for too long.”
In 1949 Mao Zedong, poet and founder of New China, wrote a verse
that included the stanza: “The rooster sings, the bright
sky turns. ” The rooster is known to be a fierce fighter;
this line celebrates its proclamation to the nation of victory
over darkness at the start of each day.
In this sense the battling rooster is symbolic, but China also
has a history of competitive cock fighting that dates back 4,000
years. It is, therefore, deeply rooted in its culture. Goading
roosters into fighting is an easy matter, as it is their instinct
to ward off any rivals for their hen harem.
There is archeological evidence that King Shaokang of the Xia
Dynasty (2100-1600 BC) and his retinue often watched cockfights,
and there is an interesting historical anecdote about the pastime
concerning King Xuanwang of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256B.C.).
The king ordered one of his officials to raise a ‘team’
of fighting roosters for him. Ten days later he asked if they
were ready to fight. The official, an experienced breeder of fighting
roosters, replied that they could not be because they still looked
too proud. After ten more days the rooster-raiser was still less
than certain that the birds were ready to rumble. It was not until
the end of the month that he confidently informed the king that
the roosters could now defeat any rival. When the King asked how
he knew, he said that they resembled nothing more than dumb, wooden
chickens. Through his eyes this sight translated into lean, mean
fighting machines whose only purpose in life was to fight.
As so many of China’s past rulers were passionately keen
on watching bloody rooster battles, it was a means by which sycophants
could curry favor. During the reign of Tang emperor Xuanzong,
several courtiers were awarded good official positions, simply
as a reward for breeding and fostering appropriately fierce feathered
fighters. Cock fighting could also be very lucrative to the owners
of champions, however short-lived their supremacy, and large amounts
were wagered on each bout. Historical records show that bets of
money, houses and even arable land – the source of most people’s
livelihood, were laid on cockfights. In view of the popularity
of this form of gambling, it comes as no surprise that owners
of roosters would frequently cheat their way to the winner’s
purse. One method was to fit metal “claws” over the
bird’s feet, enabling it to tear its adversary apart all
the more quickly and efficiently.
In general, the fighting rooster was bigger and taller than the
average farmyard cockerel, and also differed in having had its
crest and wattle removed. It was fed on a high-protein diet of
wheat, red and black rice, grapes and egg white, and its daily
regimen of exercise kept it fighting fit. These battling birds
were matched according to height and weight, in the same way as
boxers and wrestlers. A fight could be over in minutes, or last
hours, depending on how long it took for one rooster to either
kill or severely injure its opponent. A cockfighting career –
or life -- seldom lasted longer than a few fights.
This sport has slipped in popularity over the centuries, but
has been kept alive in remote areas of the country. For example,
on the 22nd day of the first lunar month of each year, rooster
fights are held in large, walled venues in Kaifeng, Henan Province.
Cockfighting is not prohibited, but betting on it is.
The rooster is also part of the Chinese “zodiac.” It
is widely believed that people born under this sign are conservative,
warm-hearted, beautiful, honest and humorous, although sometimes
arrogant and idolatrous. On the other hand, they are resourceful,
capable of handling any accident or emergency that may occur,
and also very friendly and sociable.
The rooster is a main aspect of many historic seasonal rituals.
There is a custom in certain northwestern regions, and also in
eastern Shandong Province, of wearing a “spring rooster”
ornament on the first official day of spring. It is made from
shreds of cloth stuffed into a small cotton “pocket”
and pinned to the left sleeve of a child’s clothes to bring
good fortune in the New Year. In some parts of southern Zhejiang
Province there is a custom of wearing a “rooster heart packet”
during the Dragon Boat Festival each June. The “heart”
is made from a piece of red cloth filled with rice, tea leaves
and realgar (natural mineral) powder, placed on a cord and hung
around a child’s neck to ward off evil.
In areas of Henan Province there is a custom of killing a rooster
on the first day of the tenth lunar month, in the belief that
it will drive evil spirits away. The King of Hell releases ghosts
on that day and they walk freely among humans until the Festival
of Pure Brightness (around April 4), according to local legends.
Within China’s folkways it is common knowledge that ghosts
and spirits fear rooster blood, hence the tradition of spilling
it at that time of year.
Evil spirits are banished with the help of roosters in other
regions of China too, but without shedding a drop of its blood.
Another pearl of Chinese folklore wisdom warns that devils and
other miscreant spirits go about at night and disappear before
daybreak because they fear the rooster’s morning crow. Children
are consequently advised by their older family members to imitate
the sound of a cock crowing if ever they should meet a stranger
at night.
A rooster has long been considered auspicious for weddings. In
Shandong Province, for example, a boy usually walks alongside
the bridal sedan holding a hen in his arms. The Chinese word for
chicken is ji, which sounds similar to that meaning auspicious.
A fat hen, therefore, portends a bride who will bring luck to
her new home.
From bloody fights to good luck to gong bao di jing (spicy
diced chicken with peanuts)– roosters are a fixed aspect
of the Chinese consciousness, as well as a main item on the menu.
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