Abstract: Using the method of literature analysis, this paper makes a review on the historical development of ancient Touhu and concludes that: Touhu, when originated fromPre-Qin's ritualarchery, had a preliminary function of entertainment at first. In the West and East Han Dynasties its entertainment function was strengthened, then in the Wei-Jin and Sui-Tang periodits entertainment function was in full wing. In the Song-Ming period, it was excessively used for entertainment and experienced restoration of rites, and finally it declined in late Qing Dynasty when western sports were heavily introduced into China. A further analysison the cultural and sociological mechanism of Touhu's rise and fall process shows that: the unity and contradiction of education function and entertainment function werethe inner cultural factor determining Touhu's rise and fall; the "middle-class" was the major driving force behind Touhu's development. The contemporary enlightenment drawn from the study is:to revitalize traditional sports, we need to seek the link of their tradition and modernity; to revitalize traditional sports we need to make proper use of traditional ritual culture; to revitalize traditional sports we should attach importance to the role of middle class.

Key words: Touhu, historical development, entertainmentization, cultural responsibility, contemporary enlightenment