Chinese archery - Knowledge

45: 279:(1146–256 BCE), nobles regularly held archery rituals which symbolized and reinforced order within the aristocratic hierarchy. The typical arrangement involved pairs of archers shooting at a target in a pavilion, accompanied by ceremonial music and wine. In these rituals, shooting with proper form and conduct was seen as important in order to hit the target. Ritual archery served as a counterpoint to the typical portrayal of archers, who were often skillful but brash. Confucius himself was an archery teacher, and his own view on archery and archery rituals was that " 571: 845:

dynasty) indicates that Chinese archers were still using the thumb draw. Moreover, evidence suggests a variety of ring shapes were popular during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 CE). Li Chengfen's archery manual advocated using rings with oval openings, and Gao Ying's archery manual described the use of lipped rings and contained illustrations depicting an archer using a lipped ring. To date, however, the only recovered rings that purport to be from the Ming dynasty have cylindrical designs that are different from Qing thumb rings.

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of the importance of archery, the significance of thumb rings extended beyond the battlefield: rings were commonly worn as status symbols, and up until the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE), they were also sacrificial burial objects. Although the archaeological record for Chinese thumb protection is incomplete, the designs of excavated and antique rings suggest that a variety of designs became popular over time.

28: 890:"There once was a man named Cheyn who lived in a village at the foot of a mountain. One day he was attacked by a rabid rabbit. To save himself he took the branch of a tree and the sinew of a nearby dead deer and he picked up a stick off the ground and using his new contraption fired the stick and killed the rabbit. When he returned he was hailed as a hero by the village and made king." 408:(960–1279 CE). Despite this adoption, bows and crossbows had remained an integral part of the military arsenal because of the slow firing rate and lack of reliability in early firearms. This situation changed near the end of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911 CE), when the availability of reliable firearms made archery less effective as a military weapon. As such, the 214:(475–221 BCE), shooting from chariot was the primary form of battlefield archery. A typical arrangement was that each chariot would carry one driver, one halberdier, and one archer. Eventually, horseback archery replaced chariot archery during the Warring States period. The earliest recorded use of mounted archery by Han Chinese occurred with the reforms of 882:

was supple, so he cut off a branch with his stone knife to make a bow. Then he saw a vine growing on the tree, and he cut a length from it to make a string. Next he saw some bamboo nearby that was straight, so he cut a piece to make an arrow. With his bow an arrow, he shot the tiger in the eye. The tiger ran off and Huangdi made his escape.

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archery as a military and ritual practice, and for much of the 20th century only one traditional bow and arrow workshop remained. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a revival in interest among craftsmen looking to construct bows and arrows, as well as a practice technique in the traditional Chinese style.

718:(Chapter 102) describes several bow styles popular during the Ming dynasty: in the North, the short-siyah bow, grooved-siyah bow, grooved-bridge bow, and long-siyah bow; in the South, the Chenzhou bow, short-siyah bow, as well as bamboo-composite bows finished with lacquer; the Kaiyuan bow was used in all parts of Ming China. The 384:

shooting the pellet bow was allegedly the precursor to shooting with the bow and arrow, and the practice of pellet shooting persisted for many centuries. By contrast, hunting with a tethered arrow (which was meant to ensnare rather than pierce the target) was featured in early paintings, but seemed to have died out before the

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bow hand after release, as well as whether to extend the draw arm after release. In addition, the various Chinese styles used a variety of draw lengths: literature, art and photographs depict Chinese archers placing their draw hand near their front shoulder, near their cheek, near their ear, or past their face.

460:), and the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 CE) had at least 14 different schools of archery and crossbow theory, and the Qing dynasty saw the publication of books from over 14 different schools of archery. The commonality among all these styles is that they placed great emphasis on mental focus and concentration. 881:

Once upon a time, Huangdi went out hunting armed with a stone knife. Suddenly, a tiger sprang out of the undergrowth. Huangdi shimmed up a mulberry tree to escape. Being a patient creature, the tiger sat down at the bottom of the tree to see what would happen next. Huangdi saw that the mulberry wood

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Because Chinese archers typically used the thumb draw, they often required thumb protection in the form of a ring or leather guard. In historical times, thumb ring materials included jade, metal, ivory, horn and bone (though specimens made of organic materials have been difficult to recover). Because

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The dichotomy between ritual/examination archery technique and battlefield archery technique provides a significant example of the contrasts between different Chinese styles. Wang Ju, an author from the Tang dynasty, favored a ritual/examination style that involved a post-release follow-through where

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Furthermore, the various styles of Chinese archery offered different advice on other aspects of shooting technique. For example: how to position the feet, what height to anchor the arrow, how to position the bow hand finger, whether to apply tension to the bow hand, whether to let the bow spin in the

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The Imperial exam included archery. Archery on horseback was practiced by the Han Chinese living near the frontier. Wang Ju's writings on archery were followed during the Ming and Yuan and the Ming developed new methods of archery. Jinling Tuyong showed archery in Nanjing during the Ming. Contests in

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Historical sources and archaeological evidence suggest that a variety of historical bow types existed in the area of present-day China. Most varieties of Chinese bows were horn bows (horn-wood-sinew composites), but longbows and wood composites were also in use. Modern reproductions of Chinese-style

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However, with the dedicated efforts of craftsmen, researchers, promoters and enthusiasts, the practice of traditional Chinese archery has been experiencing a revival in the 21st century. Starting in 2009, they have established an annual Chinese Traditional Archery Seminar. Through new understanding

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Archery and equestrianism were frequent pastimes by the Zhengde Emperor. He practiced archery and horseriding with eunuchs. Tibetan Buddhist monks, Muslim women and musicians were obtained and provided to Zhengde by his guard Ch'ien Ning, who acquainted him with the ambidextrous archer and military

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Football and archery were practiced by the Ming Emperors. Equestrianism and archery were favorite pastimes of He Suonan who served in the Yuan and Ming militaries under Hongwu. Archery towers were built by Zhengtong Emperor at the Forbidden City. Archery towers were built on the city walls of Xi'an

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Apart from the above examples, describing thumb ring designs from other time periods is difficult. For example, thumb rings are absent from the archaeological record between the Han and Ming dynasties (220–1368 CE) even though contemporary literature (such as Wang Ju's archery manual from the Tang

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Aside from using normal bows and arrows, two distinct subgenres of hunting archery emerged: fowling with a pellet bow, and waterfowling with a tethered arrow. Shooting with a pellet bow involved using a light bow with a pouch on the bowstring designed to shoot a stone pellet. The discipline of

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philosopher) was an avid archer. Because the cultures associated with Chinese society spanned a wide geography and time range, the techniques and equipment associated with Chinese archery are diverse. The improvement of firearms and other circumstances of 20th century China led to the demise of

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decorations similar to the Shang dynasty Fu Hao ring. From the Warring States period through the Han dynasty (475 BCE–220 CE), excavated rings typically had a lipped design with a distinctive spur on the side (there exist several theories about the spur's function). Rings from the Qing dynasty

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time period (about 200–300 CE). During this period, the siyahs tended to be long and thin, while the working sections of the limb were short and broad. However, during the Yuan period, long-siyah bows tended to have heavier siyahs and narrower working limbs than their Han/Jin-era predecessors.

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The Treatises on Military Affairs of the Ming Dynastic History (1368–1644): An Annotated Translation of the Treatises on Military Affairs, Chapter 89 and Chapter 90: Supplemented by the Treatises on Military Affairs of the Draft of the Ming Dynastic History: A Documentation of Ming-Qing

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Many variations in archery technique evolved throughout Chinese history, so it is difficult to completely specify a canonical Chinese style. The Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) had at least 7 archery manuals in circulation (including a manual by General

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bows have adopted shapes inspired by historical designs. But in addition to using traditional construction methods (such as horn-wood-sinew composites), modern craftsmen and manufacturers have used modern materials such as

96:, the art of Chinese archery) has played a pivotal role in Chinese society. In particular, archery featured prominently in ancient Chinese culture and philosophy: archery was one of the Six Noble Arts of the 467:, which was also the predominant draw method for other Asian peoples such as the Mongolians, Tibetans, Koreans, Indians, Turks and Persians; with the famous exception being the Japanese draw technique for 824:(who died circa 1200 BCE). The ring was a slanted cylinder where the front, which contained a groove for holding the bow string, was higher than the back. An excavation of the Marquis of Jin's tomb in 559:

Longbows and wood composite bows were popular in southern China, where the humid climate made horn bows more difficult to use. An excavated example of a Chinese longbow was dated to approximately the

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Although civil archery rituals fell out of favor after the Zhou dynasty, examinations inspired by the Zhou-era rituals became a regular part of the military syllabus in later dynasties such as the

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Another myth was Hou Yi shooting the sun. Other myths also feature Hou Yi battling an assortment of monsters (which were metaphors for natural disasters) using his cinnabar-red bow.

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chinese-archery.de – German language Chinese archery site: Containing the use of Chinese bows, arrows, thumb-rings and other equipment in an historical and modern-sporty context

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officer Chiang Pin. An accomplished military commander and archer was demoted to commoner status on a wrongful charge of treason was the Prince of Lu's grandson in 1514.

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China as a Sea Power, 1127–1368: A Preliminary Survey of the Maritime Expansion and Naval Exploits of the Chinese People During the Southern Song and Yuan Periods

310:) In addition to archery on foot, the examinations also featured mounted archery, as well as strength testing with specially-designed strength testing bows. 2398: 849: 1123: 439:

In 1998, Ju Yuan Hao resumed bow making and until recently was the only active workshop constructing bows and arrows in the traditional Chinese style.

1237: 745: 923: 499:) and Gao Ying (Ming dynasty) eschewed aesthetic elements (such as Wang Ju's follow-through) in favor of developing a more practical technique. 651:(206 BCE–1368 CE). (Siyahs are the non-bending end sections of Asiatic composite bows.) The design shares similarities with Hunnic horn bows. 380:

Hunting was an important discipline in Chinese archery, and scenes of hunting using horseback archery feature prominently in Chinese artwork.

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Chinese warfare. Nonetheless, infantry archery using the bow and arrow still served important functions in training as well as naval battles.

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The Yongle Emperor's eldest son and successor the Hongxi Emperor was disinterested in military matters but was accomplished in foot archery.

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in 307 BCE. Despite opposition from his nobles, Zhao Wuling's military reforms included the adoption of archery tactics of the bordering

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Stephen Selby (2010). "The Bows of China". Journal of Chinese Martial Studies, Winter 2010 Issue 2. Three-In-One Press. pp. 52–67.

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To date, there are very few (if any) excavated examples of draw hand protection for Chinese archers using the 3-finger draw. However,

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profile (colloquially known as the "cupid bow" shape). Archaeologists have excavated examples of Scythian-style bows dating to the

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The Manchurian bow has influenced modern-day Tibetan and Mongolian bow designs, which are shorter versions of the Qing horn bow.

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Although Ming bows have been depicted in literature and art, archaeologists have yet to recover an original Ming bow sample.

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Cheng Ziyi (1638). Illustration from the Wu Bei Yao Lue (‘Outline of Military Preparedness’ : The Theory of Archery).

748:(Chapter 4), another classic Ming dynasty military manual, depicts a set of bows that is distinct from those discussed in 1216: 2496:

Jie Tian and Justin Ma (2015). The Way of Archery: A 1637 Chinese Military Training Manual. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.

1417: 2488: 2478: 2210: 2046: 1471: 1454: 1444: 1352: 742:) was a small-to-medium size bow which featured long siyahs, and it was the bow of choice for high-ranking officers. 241:(1368–1644 CE), presumably because the skill of constructing bronze trigger mechanisms was lost during the Mongolian 1940:"Exploring Chinese History :: Database Catalog :: Biographical Database :: Imperial China- (?- 1644)" 523:

The following sections highlight the current understanding on some of the major design categories for Chinese bows.

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and reconstruction of these archery practices, their goal is to create a new living tradition for Chinese archery.

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A refined person has no use for competitiveness. Yet if he cannot avoid it, then let him compete through archery!

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Reproduction of a Ming dynasty Kaiyuan bow by Chinese bowyer Gao Xiang. This is a horn, bamboo, sinew composite.

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Equestrianism and archery were favored activities of Zhu Di (the Yongle Emperor) and his second son Zhu Gaoxu.

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Zhu Yuanzhang and Early Ming Legislation: The Reordering of Chinese Society Following the Era of Mongol Rule

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the bow spins in the bow hand, and the draw arm extends straight back; by contrast, certain authors such as

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Drawing and translation by Stephen Selby (2003). How Huangdi Invented the Bow and Arrow. Chinese folk tale.

1536: 1010: 344:. The area around the Meridian Gate of Nanjing was used for archery by guards and generals under Hongwu. 198:

In historical times, Chinese people used archery for hunting, sport, rituals, examinations, and warfare.

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Cheng Ziyi (1638). Wu Bei Yao Lue (Chapter 4, Illustrations of Infantry and Mounted Archery Methods).

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Translated by Stephen Selby (1998). 'Makiwara Madness' from the Bukyo Shagaku Sheiso. Gao Ying, 1637.

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period (475 BCE–9 CE), and its dimensions were 1.59 m long, 3.4 cm wide and 1.4 cm thick.

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were popular in southern China because of the humid climate. Based on excavated bows from the

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bow design and was favored in northern and southern China for its superior craftsmanship).

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erected by Hongwu. Lake Houhu was guarded by archers in Nanjing during the Ming dynasty.

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Stephen Selby (2003). Archery Traditions of Asia. Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence.

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Selby (2000), pp. xix—xx, xxii—xxiii, 57, 110, 123, 148, 179—181, 205, 340—341, 365—369.

1059: 31: 635:), wrapped in silk and lacquered. The typical length of such bows was 1.2–1.5 meters. 2497: 2484: 2474: 2206: 2042: 1919: 1901: 1881: 1863: 1843: 1825: 1805: 1787: 1767: 1749: 1729: 1711: 1691: 1664: 1636: 1609: 1568: 1477: 1450: 1423: 1396: 1378: 1358: 1264: 570: 464: 348:

archery were held in the capital for Garrison of Guard soldiers who were handpicked.

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Translated by Stephen Selby (1999). The History of Ju Yuan Hao Bowmakers of Beijing.

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The style of drawing that is most commonly associated with Chinese archery is the

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Intellectuals at a Crossroads: The Changing Politics of China's Knowledge Workers

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Archery competitions, equestrianism and calligraphy were some of the pastimes of

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Math, calligraphy, literature, equestrianism, archery, music, and rites were the

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Legends about archery permeate Chinese culture. An early tale discusses how the

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The Niya, Gansu and Khotan bows are examples of long-siyah bows dating from the

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Stephen Selby (2000). Chinese Archery (Paperback). Hong Kong University Press.

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Yang Hong (1992). Weapons in Ancient China. Science Press. pp. 94—95, 196—202.

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Horn bows of this style tended to be asymmetric and adopted a distinct, curvy

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Eric J. Hoffman (2008). Chinese Thumb Rings: From Battlefield to Jewelry Box.

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