Chinese custom sees women throw embroidered balls from balconies to choose husbands

In some classic Chinese novels and period dramas, women of ancient times would throw an embroidered ball from a balcony to the street to randomly choose whoever caught it as their husband.In the classic novel Journey to the West, published in the 16th century, the father of the main character, Buddhist monk Xuanzang, was chosen by his mother by throwing an embroidered ball.In the 1998 Chinese drama My Fair Princess, adapted from Taiwanese writer Chiung Yao’s novel set in the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), the protagonists also encounter a wealthy family’s daughter, whose father tried to deny their marriage after her embroidered ball hit a poor young man.The plot has appeared in so many classic works that many believe it to be an old marriage tradition without a shadow of doubt. However, studies have revealed that it is a literary adaptation of a custom that is, fortunately, less random.Throwing the embroidered ball is a 2,000-year-old tradition of the Zhuang ethnic group in Guangxi, China. Far from a random game of chance, the practice serves as a beautifully structured courtship ritual. Photo: Taiwan.cnThe tradition of throwing embroidered balls to each other is a popular practice among young Zhuang people in southern China’s Guangxi-zhuang-autonomous-region" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="44530" data-entity-type="location">Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.The Zhuang ethnic group accounts for over 30 per cent of Guangxi’s population. Throwing embroidered balls is a way for young people to express their love.It is said that on the third day of the third month, young people gather to attend a singing fair. Only when two people have a crush on each other do they throw their embroidered balls at each other to confess their love. Some also tie presents to the balls.The fist-sized embroidered balls are handmade by joining 12 stuffed petal units. The balls feature auspicious bright colours and are tied with colourful ribbons and red pendants.People usually stuff seeds and rice husks into the petals and sew various kinds of flowers and birds on them.The embroidery reflects the makers – usually women’s craftsmanship – and a more exquisitely made ball would more easily win a man’s admiration.These fist-sized, handmade embroidered balls feature auspicious, vibrant colours that showcase the superb craftsmanship of local women. Historically, a more exquisitely stitched ball would easily capture a suitor’s deepest admiration. Photo: Taiwan.cnThe tradition is said to have existed for 2,000 years in Guangxi, dating back to an ancient hunting tool named fei tuo, or flying weight.Further ReadingThe fei tuo was originally a bronze weight tied to a long rope, which was later adapted into embroidered balls as a toy for entertainment.The toy also spread to the central plains of China. It was documented in ancient Chinese literature, such as The Joy of Playing the Embroidered Ball by Tang poet Liu Yuxi (772–842), which goes, “The five-coloured embroidered ball rolls in reunion, attending your sumptuous banquet... Thankfully we have this ball-tossing game of joy; please do not refuse this cup of wine.”Nowadays, while throwing and catching embroidered balls is no longer a promise to tie the knot, some believe that it is widely featured in costume dramas to express modern people’s opposition to feudal marriage rules.A woman holds an oversized embroidered ball, a dramatic contrast to the traditionally fist-sized original versions. Photo: Taiwan.cnIn feudal China, marriage was a strict patriarchal alliance between families, and women could not freely choose their own love.The act of throwing embroidered balls instead leaves marriage to fate, regardless of a person’s rank or wealth.“To some extent, deciding one’s future husband by throwing an embroidered ball shows a modern belief that it is the universe that brings us together,” one person commented.