ANCIENT CHINA

Most people in ancient China spent most of their time working. For much of the year they worked all day without free days. However, there were festivals throughout the year where they had the opportunity to play and entertain themselves.Dance and AcrobaticsDance was an important art form since the early Chinese dynasties. It reached its peak during the Tang dynasty. Acrobatics was also a popular form of entertainment from at least the Qin Dynasty in 207 BC. Acrobatics and dance were often combined with other forms of entertainment such as juggling, martial arts and music.OperaAround the end of the Zhou Dynasty, music, acting and dance were combined in Chinese opera. In Chinese opera, artists wear elaborate costumes and tell stories of famous Chinese legends and heroes through song and dance. Chinese opera is still a popular form of entertainment today.Table gamesThe Chinese enjoyed playing a variety of board games. One of the most popular was Go (also called weiqi). Go was invented around 500 BC. Over time, Go became so popular that it became one of the Four Academic Arts that were to be dominated by all Chinese knights. Go is a strategy game. It is played on a grid with small black and white pieces called "stones"