Abstract
China is one of the earliest countries in the world to discover the bow and arrow. Archery with Chinese features gradually came into being after a long period of development, giving rise to many theories and writings related to archery. Archery books in China are rich in content and should be regarded as precious items of national cultural heritage. Unfortunately, cultural bias which has emphasized the study of literature over the martial arts has led to the neglect of Chinese archery books, as well as a lack of interest from conventional philological research institutes. Many important historical texts have been lost as a result. This chapter examines and categorizes the ancient archery books in China. Through methodical research, the author has compiled and categorized one hundred and twenty ancient archery books.
Translation by Hing Chao
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Notes
- 1.
Chen Guoqing ed., Han shu: Yiwenzhi zhushi huibian [Book of the Han dynasty: Chronicles on arts and literature] (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1983), 198. The original Chinese text reads,「技巧者, 習手足, 便器械, 積機關, 以立攻守之勝者也。」
- 2.
The Li School is often interpreted in English as the Cheng-Zhu School of Neo-Confucianism or literally as the School of Principles.
- 3.
Words used in the original Chinese text are “佛朗機” and “鳥銃”, both generic terms used during the Ming dynasty to describe firearms.
- 4.
The seven gentlemen (qi junzi) include Shen Junru, Zhang Naiqi, Zou Taofen, Shi Liang, Li Gongpu, Wang Zaoshi, and Sha Qianli.
References
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Liu Xu 劉昫 [Later Jin dynasty] et al. 1975. Jiu Tang shu 舊唐書 [Book of the Early Tang dynasty]. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju 中華書局.
Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修, and Song Qi 宋祁 [Song dynasty] et al. 1975. Xin Tang shu 新唐書 [Book of the Late Tang dynasty]. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju 中華書局.
Tang Hao 唐豪. 1958. “Woguo tiyu ziliao jieti” 我國體育資料解題 [Uncovering the Chinese sports documents]. In Zhongguo tiyushi cankao ziliao 中國體育史參考資料 [Resources for China’s sports history]. Beijing: Renmin tiyu chubanshe 人民體育出版社.
Tang Hao 唐豪. 1940. “Zhongguo wuyi tuji kao” 中國武藝圖籍考 [Examining Chinese martial art manuals]. Shuowen yuekan 說文月刊.
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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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Ma, M. (2023). Archery Books in China. 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_2
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