Abstract
The rulers of the Qing dynasty founded their state through their virtuosity of archery and horsemanship. They deemed mounted archery as the backbone of the Manchu people. As a consequence, the demand for bows and arrows during the Qing dynasty exceeded that of the previous dynasties in terms of their types and quantity, and therefore required a large number of bowyers and fletchers to participate in the production, repair, and maintenance of bows and arrows. By studying these craftsmen who were crucial to the rule of the Qing, this chapter elucidates the production and management of the bows and arrows which were regarded as both military weapons and cultural symbols at that time.
Translation by Hing Chao.
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Notes
- 1.
The Green Standard Army was a category of the military units during the Qing dynasty, which comprised mainly the ethnically Han soldiers. The Army was used primarily as a police force after the Manchu rulers consolidated their rule over China.
- 2.
The title “gushanda” was derived from the Manchu term “gušanda,” and “xieling” is the corresponding Chinese term for “regiment colonel”.
- 3.
The Upper Three Banners included the Bordered Yellow Banner, Plain Yellow Banner, and Plain White Banner, while the Lower Five Banners contained the Plain Red Banner, Bordered White Banner, Bordered Red Banner, Plain Blue Banner, and Bordered Blue Banner.
- 4.
The term shemu can refer to three different plants, including cypress, wisteria, and maple tree.
- 5.
The Altai military post road was under the supervision of the Chahar lieutenant governor (Chaha’er fu dutong).
- 6.
“Nei fu” is an abbreviation of the Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu).
- 7.
The jian in the term jianjiang means the decoration put on the horse’s head.
- 8.
The Qing official rank system contained nine grades. The first-grade official was ranked as the highest and the ninth-grade as the lowest.
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Geng, Z. (2023). The Institution and Administration of Imperial Bowyers and Fletchers During the Qing Dynasty. In: Chao, H., Ma, L., Kim, L. (eds) Chinese Archery Studies. Martial Studies, vol 1. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8321-3_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8321-3_10
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