Whipping a top required very little: a wooden top, a short handle with a cord, and a reasonably flat patch of ground. A common method was to wind the cord around the top, pull or throw it sharply to create the first spin, then keep it moving with repeated strokes. The real skill was not the launch but adding energy in the direction of the spin. Hit too hard and the top could be knocked off balance; too softly and it would soon stop.
Top-spinning has a long history in China, with materials, shapes and local names varying widely. For children growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, it fitted a familiar pattern of street play: simple equipment could still reveal large differences in skill. Everyone could see who could keep a top going longest or rescue one that had begun to wobble.
Children might compare spinning time or let tops collide, with rules often agreed on the spot. There was no elaborate instruction manual. Watching the tilt, adjusting the direction and force of the whip, and moving with the top were the learning process. A very simple wooden object could bring observation, bodily control and friendly competition together.
https://archive.chcp.org/virtual-museum-library/traditional-games/
https://www.museumofplay.org/toys/top/
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