ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how Chinese nationalism led to the further indigenization and modernization of Western physical education and sport during the period 1928-1937. It shows how the initially-Christian venture of physical education was adapted to nationalist purposes, and how this very process problematized the notion of one-way cultural imperialism where the foreign influences are practically becoming localized almost beyond recognition. The YMCA utilized physical education and sport to launch charity enterprises from time to time. As a result of governmental patronage, modern Western physical education and sport were being increasingly indigenized and popularized among Chinese people. Bairner has argued that national sports 'are simply part of a panoply of elements that serve to legitimize the nation state'. This national agenda is also evident in the organization of the Three National Games (the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth), which were held between 1928 and 1937.
