Portrait of Sanson, a young Tahitian artist passionate about roosters. Cockfighting was introduced to Polynesia by early Chinese immigrants. It took place everywhere, on all the islands. Wherever there was a Chinese trader he organized a cockfight, to the extent that he had fighting cocks. But this is not a particularly Chinese cultural trait. It doesn't come from China. Cockfighting is extremely old in the Mediterranean and throughout southern Asia, and in particular the Philippines where it was very organized.