Boikoo tarkbei or
Daur hockey is a game similar to
field hockey or
street hockey. It has been played for about 1,000 years
by the
Daur people people, an ethnic group from
Inner Mongolia, China.
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]
The game involves teams of men playing a ball-like knob of apricot root with long wooden branches.[ At night, the game is played with a felt-covered ball that is set alight.][ A game is reported to last for two periods of roughly 15 minutes.][
]
Poolie tarkbei is the Daur version of polo. Boikoo and poolie are two popular game among Daurs.
Some Daurs believe the Daur language term boikoo and poolie was originated from Chinese term buqiu (budaqiu or buqiu was a popular game in Tang dynasty) and Tibetan term polon, and deny the Khitan origin of Daurs. Others believe the Daur boikoo was originated from the Khitan hockey.
When Western field hockey was introduced to China, it was taken up enthusiastically by the Daurs, whose affinity for the game has helped China to improve its global standing in field hockey.[ At the 2008 Summer Olympics, a third of the Chinese men's field hockey team was from Morin Dawa, a city in the Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner in Inner Mongolia.][
]
