Chancellor Jia Sidao and the Cricket FightersCricket fighting is an ancient Chinese bloodsport that

Chancellor Jia Sidao and the Cricket FightersCricket fighting is an ancient Chinese bloodsport that can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).  Cricket fighting is much like dogfighting or cockfighting, except with two aggressive male crickets.  Each cricket is carefully bred to be a fighter, raised by expert cricket breeders, and fed a healthy fighters diet of shrimp, red beans, maggots, and goat livers.  Occasionally before a fight a pretty young female cricket is introduced to amp up the male cricket’s fighting spirits. Unlike other animal bloodsports, the crickets are rarely injured or killed as crickets, even under careful breeding and training, are not exactly the most aggressive or deadly critters.In ancient China the breeding of crickets and cricket fighting was an incredibly popular pastime.  One such enthusiast was Jia Sidao (1213-1275), who was a powerful Chancellor of the Chinese Song Empire.  He was often known to hold grand fights and cricket matches attended by politicians, nobles, and religious leaders.  He even wrote a text called The Book of Crickets advising breeders on how to raise, train, and maintain the best fighting crickets.  One passage offers how to identify the five best virtues of a fighting cricket,1.    When it is time to sing he will sing. This is trustworthiness.2.    On meeting an enemy, he will not hesitate to fight.  This is courage.3.    Even seriously wounded he will not surrender. This is virtue.4.    When defeated he will not sing. He knows his shame.5.    When he becomes cold he will return to his home. He is wise and knows the facts of the situation.The problem with Jia Sidao was that he was more attentive to his crickets than to his Empire.  Incompetent and bumbling, he attempted to enact several land and economic reforms which were widely unpopular with the people.  Furthermore, the empire was suffering defeat after defeat at the hands of the Mongols.  Jia Sidao often gave orders not to be disturbed so that he could attend to his crickets or host cricket fights, leaving him unavailable to handle political or military situations.  Immersed in his world of crickets, the Chinese Empire collapsed around him.  At the Battle of Yihu his incompetence led to a humiliating defeat in which the Mongols captured the imperial capital pretty much unopposed.  Eventually Jia Sidao was removed from his position by the emperor; he would later be assassinated, or perhaps executed.  At that point the damage done by Jia Sidao was irreversible, the Song Dynasty collapsed and the Mongolian warlord Kublai Kahn was declared emperor of China in 1271, creating the foundations of the Yuan Dynasty.Cricket fighting continued in popularity long after Jia Sidao, and his textbook on crickets is still required reading for cricket breeders.  Cricket fighting was banned under the rule of communist leader Mao Ze-tung in 1966, seen as a capitalist Bourgeoisie sport by the Communist Party.  Today cricket fighting is making a comeback among younger Chinese who view it as a throwback to ancient Chinese customs.  Thousands of crickets are currently “getting ready to rumble” as I write this. -- source link

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