Cricket fighting fans say the popularity of the ancient Chinese sport is dwindling as the season kicks off in Beijing this month.
Though fans can get surprisingly rowdy at the matches, the tradition is losing steam as the number of people involved decreases, tournament organizer Zhao Boguang told CTV News from Beijing.
"Prospects (for the sport) look bleak since so few young people are involved."
The fan base is made up mostly of men – like Fu Dongyuan, who has been raising crickets for years since he was five or six.
"They must have big teeth first, that's the most important. Long legs and a strong neck too," he told CTV's Beijing Bureau Chief Ben O'Hara-Byrne of the prize-winners.
They have a lifespan of only 100 days, but in China the most promising fighters can go for $1,500 apiece.
The sport dates back thousands of years to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It originated as a gambler's sport, gradually becoming a source of entertainment for the elite. Gambling is illegal in China today, though there is still some covert betting at matches.
During each match, the crickets are weighed in like boxers, and then ‘teased' or riled up by the competitors. The battle lasts only a few seconds, and the crickets are rarely injured in the fights. A winner is determined when one stops fighting.
Prize money is a few hundred dollars.
"When we were kids, we didn't have toys to play with. This was like boxing for us," another long-time competitor said.
"Imagine if one of these crickets could be like Mike Tyson?"
With a report from CTV's Beijing Bureau Chief Ben O'Hara-Byrne
