Kublai Khan was born in the year 1215. As the grandson of Genghis Khan he had battle and ambition in his blood. At the age of nine his grandfather performed a ceremony that symbolized Kublai's right of passage from a boy to a warrior. He had returned from a hunt where he and his older brother killed a rabbit and an antelope. In accordance with tradition Genghis Khan smeared fat from the killed animal on Kublai's thumb. From a young age Kublai was attracted to Chinese culture, especially Buddhism. He was introduced to several Buddhist monks and made a few of them some of his most trusted advisers.
Kublai's older brother, Mongke, became Khan once Genghis Khan died. Kublai was a high ranking official under Mongke's command. He won several victories in Northern China and helped to resolve a conflict between Taoists and Buddhists. All of this earned Kublai the respect of his older brother. Once Mongke died a civil war broke out over which brother would be the next Khan. Kublai's younger brother formed troops and allegiances as did Kublai. In the end Kublai was named Khan and many men that had fought for his younger brother were killed but Kublai Khan pardoned his younger brother. Although Kublai Khan's rise to power was not smooth he was able to grow the Empire beyond what his legendary grandfather had been able to do.
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The painting above is of Kublai Khan on a hunting expedition with some of his men. Hunting for the Mongols was a sport and their killings were celebrated similar to the ways that we celebrate a winning football or basketball team. Although sporting events have evolved over time and differ from culture to culture sporting events have been an important part of culture since the beginning of time.
Assignment
Pick three different countries (one of them must be China) and do research on how their sports have evolved over time. Write a paragraph for each country describing the most popular sports and how they have changed over time. Submit when finished.
