Polo was known as "Ji Qiu" or "Da Ju" in ancient China, and its birthplace remains controversial to this day. The most widely recognized origin is Persia in 525 BC, from where it was subsequently introduced into China, becoming highly popular and reaching its peak in the Tang Dynasty before declining after the Ming Dynasty. Modern polo originated in Silchar, the capital of the Cachar region in India, then under British rule, in 1859. As the birthplace of polo, the sport enjoys a high level of public participation in the UK, and its standards are among the world's best.