According to several news reports, it’s not only people who practice martial arts in China. Apparently, the crickets do as well.

The history supposedly goes back to more than 1,000 years, and this year more than 20 teams from across the country competed in the two-day National Cricket Fighting Championships.

Two crickets are put into a tiny ring and then agitated with pieces of hay to get them into a fighting mood. Bets are often made — the Wall Street Journal reports that some people wager a whole month’s salary — and with money driving the “sport,” some crickets are sold for as much as $1,000.

“I raise crickets as a hobby because I admire their positive spirit,” a truck driver told Reuters. “They never admit defeat, they have a fighting spirit, so we all like them.”

Click here for a Wall Street Journal video.

Click here for a Bloomberg News video.

Click here for a video from a Florida TV station.

Click here for an older New York Times video.

Read more at:

– It’s Cricket Fighting Season In China

– Classic clash of the crickets

– Chirps and Cheers: China’s Crickets Clash