It might be surprising to know that ice-skating has appeared in the ancient times. Believe it or not, it (be) once a warriors' (战士的) art with ice skates. The sport was then called bingxi, and it was practiced because Manchu men needed to master the skill of moving 350 kilometers in a single day (reach) their enemies.
When the Manchu men moved from the north to the capital city of Beijing came to power in the Qing Dynasty, ice-skating became traditional sport. Every winter, there were 200 proficient ice-skaters (select) to perform on the frozen royal lake.
Ice-skaters during those times wore knee pads, and they secured their shoes with leather. Their shoes (fit) with single iron blades for speed, and double blades for security. There were also (compete) for figure skating, ice acrobatics (杂技), and speed skating were held for the benefit of the royal family.
China being one of the oldest and longest (last) civilizations in the history of the world, the ancient Chinese were also involved different sports. And most of their popular sports are still being played up to the present time.
