CHINESE ARCHERY: BULLSEYE BY VIRTUE

CHINESE ARCHERY: BULLSEYE BY VIRTUE

Text by Wei Lei Translation by Tao Wenjia Photos by CFP Expert Referrals & Review by Xu Kaicai&Han Bingxue

Archery has such prestigious status and popularity, because our ancestors made it part of the "Dao". The combination of "outer" practice and "inner" cultivation and the perfection between body and mind, showcases the emphasis on "nature and man as one" in the traditional Chinese culture.

射以觀德

在中國，習射被上升到『道』的層面。從傳統哲學的角度， 將『 修體』與『育德』 結合起來，賦予『體育精神』以中國人自己的解讀。

In the entire Chinese history, there probably isn't any other sport that holds such signi ficance as Archery. In the ancient times, Chinese characters with the component "弓"(bow) were mostly related to archery somehow. From emperors to civilians, many had participated in this sport. Many newly found relics, ancient books, calligraphy and paintings have presented archery as the main focus.

As what anthropologists believe, bows and arrows were invented as early as 28,000 years ago. At first, Archery was part of hunting and military activities. After Confucius listed archery as one of the 6 traditional arts, it became one of the ways for people to cultivate their moral characters and manners of gentleman. As a result, this sport has been popular among both warriors and men of letters. During the Six Dynasties period, professional archery contests were first introduced. In the Tang Dynasty under Empress Wu Tse-tien's reign, the imperial examination for choosing military officers was set up, and archery was one of the subjects. From the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, archery gained even more popularity among civilians. It was until the Qing Dynasty when firearms were introduced, that archery gradually faded away in the military front, and became a sport and way of moral cultivation.

During the Qing Dynasty, emperors were very big on archery, especially horseback shooting.“Emperor Qianlong hunting”（Giuseppe Castiglione）清朝時期，統治者對射箭尤其是騎射非常重視。（《乾隆皇帝射獵圖》郎世寧）

Confucius once argued that the art of archery was not about how fatal the result was, but your ability of cultivation during the process. He also believed that you could observe the archer's virtues by their archery skills. When a gentleman makes a shot, if his inner spirit is pure and upright, then his body will be presented as straight, and his hold on the bow steady and powerful. So observers can tell the archer's virtues by his archery skills. Vice versa, if you present perfectly with your body, then your virtue is also cultivated successfully.

Therefore, "cultivating both the body and the mind", "emphasizing on both skills and the Dao", and "observe one's virtue by his archery" became the core values of the traditional Chinese archery. As a result, Chinese traditional sports started on the path of looking back into one's inner heart, instead of considering competition as the main purpose in the West. Cultivating virtue through practicing with one's body, this is the Chinese interpretation of the Sportsmanship.

Ever since the Chinese first attended international sports competitions, China has been getting great results in archery competitions. Maybe in another way, it proves that such interpretation of the Sportsmanship is not far off the target. In the exploration of Sports culture, China is adding its own interpretation and supplements to the "Higher, Faster, Stronger" concept.

在中國歷史上，大概沒有哪一項運動，可以有如射箭一樣，占有如此重要的地位。古漢語中，有很多“弓”字旁的字，多與弓矢相關。從天子到平民都對射箭活動高度參與，現存大量出土文物、古書字畫里，也有諸多以射箭為主題的論述和記載。

據考古發現，射箭活動在兩萬八千多年前就已出現。最開始，它是作為一種狩獵和軍事活動存在，后來，圣人孔子將其列入傳統六藝之一，成為君子修身養性培養風度的方法。由此，它同時受到文人與武士的喜愛。到了魏晉南北朝時期，射箭出現了專業的比賽。唐代，武則天將它列入武舉考核項目，射箭活動在民間更為普及。清朝，隨著火器的引入，射箭逐漸從軍事領域退出去，變成一種純粹的體育比賽和修身方式。

射箭在中國具備如此高的地位和廣泛的傳播，最主要是古人把它上升到了“道”的層次。孔子強調“射以觀德”，認為君子在射箭時，內心若思慮純正，則外形身體正直，手持弓箭穩固有力。根據射箭，可以考察一個人的品德。由此，修體與育德開始在射箭活動中結為一體，“內外兼修”“術道并重”“射以觀德”成為中國傳統射箭運動的核心價值觀。

中國體育文化自產生最初起就走上了“反省內求”的道路，而不似西方以競技為主要內容。然而，這并不妨礙它在競技比賽的環境下，依然發揮著巨大的作用。在奧運會中，與“射”相關的項目里，中國總能頻頻創出佳績。或許這也是一種證明，在人類體育精神的探索之路上，中國在提供著具備寶貴價值的解讀。

The breakdown of using the thumb to pull the string.拇指鉤弦法分解動作。

The Chinese traditional archery VS Western modern archery 中國傳統射箭VS西方現代射箭

Instrument:the bow, and nothing else

Mainstream technique:using thumb to pull the string

Frequence of shoot:faster ( as fast as 1 arrow / 1 second )

Difficulty:relatively higher

器具：裸弓

射法：以拇指鉤弦為主流

射頻：較快，最快可達每秒一箭

難度：較現代弓高

Instrument:bow with balancing and aiming devices

Mainstream technique:the Mediterranean technique that uses 3 fingers to pull the string

Frequence of shoot:slower (as fast as 1 arrow / dozen seconds)

Difficulty:relatively lower

器具：有輔助的平衡和瞄準設備

射法：以三指鉤弦的地中海射法為主流

射頻：較慢，最快十幾秒一箭

難度：較傳統弓低