Traditional Archery
01 · Historical Records
It has a long history, originating in the archery training activities of Xibe border-guard officers and soldiers in the Ili region of Xinjiang during the Qing dynasty. It is now transmitted mainly in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and radiates to the surrounding areas.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Xibe archery is one of the traditional sports and competitive athletics most beloved by the Xibe people. Xibe archery is divided into two major systems: military archery (wushe) and civil archery (wenshe), each with its own tenets that differ greatly. Military archery centers on combat, emphasizing lethal techniques and tactical application, with victory determined by the number of arrows hitting the target and the effectiveness of the kill; both the traditional military archery of the hunt and the shooting techniques of modern competitive archery belong to this category. Civil archery, also called "ritual archery" (lishe) or "the art of archery" (sheyi), centers on rites and regulations, taking the Way and virtue as its tenets, and applying the ideals of ritual propriety throughout the entire process of shooting. It emphasizes the process of archery rather than the result, with victory determined by the archer's moral cultivation and mastery of ritual archery technique. The archer must hit the target precisely in a moment of supreme danger amid chaos. The Xibe people place great emphasis on both internal and external training in the art of archery: children begin elementary training at the age of six or seven, and at fifteen or sixteen undergo concentrated, formal archery training. Xibe archery takes several forms: standing-foot archery, running archery, kneeling archery, and horseback archery. Among these, standing-foot archery training is the core and foundation, while horseback archery emphasizes fine horses and fine bows with scientific training. Xibe archery is an important component of the traditional Chinese archery culture and embodies the characteristic unity in diversity of Chinese culture.
Martial shooting and ritual shooting
The two systems of Xibe archery: martial shooting judges by hits and lethality, ritual shooting by the archer's conduct and bearing.
Five-levels, three-leanings and the phoenix-eye grip
The standard stance and thumb release of Xibe archery, stressing the harmony of bow, arrow and hand and the archer's mental training.
The sinew-horn-wood composite bow
Xibe archers use the traditional sinew-horn-wood composite bow with bamboo or wooden arrows, the equipment differing between martial and ritual shooting.
The three training stages
Training proceeds from settling the mind to empty shooting and then live shooting, children beginning at six or seven and training formally in their teens.
Standing, running, kneeling and mounted shooting
The several forms of Xibe archery, standing shooting being the core and mounted shooting demanding good horses, good bows and systematic training.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In shooting, traditional "sinew-horn-wood" (jinjiaomu) composite bows and bamboo or wooden arrows are used. The standard stance is the "five level and three close" (wuping sankao) posture, and the standard finger draw is the thumb "phoenix eye" (fengyan) grip. Training is divided into three stages — rectifying the mind, empty-shot practice, and live-shot practice — emphasizing coordination among bow, arrow, and hand, with particular attention to the archer's psychological training.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Traditional Archery.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Xibe archery is transmitted through the master-apprentice method. The government attaches great importance to its protection and transmission, and has adopted a series of measures: organizing project surveys, collecting related materials, and researching and publishing related results to lay a foundation for protection work; establishing sports schools, building museums, and setting up bow-and-arrow culture industry parks to provide guarantees for transmission activities; including it in physical education curricula, organizing training courses, and promoting its entry into schools and communities to broaden the cultivation of inheriting groups; organizing various cultural exchange activities and competitions to strengthen promotion and publicity; and establishing traditional Xibe archery performance programs in tourism activities to explore paths of culture-tourism integration. At present, primary and secondary school students and the general public within the county are the main inheriting groups of this project. It has a long history, rich cultural connotations, and distinctive regional characteristics; it carries forward the martial spirit and patriotic tradition of the Xibe people, and preserves the historical memory of Xibe officers and soldiers guarding the border, suppressing rebellions, and stabilizing society, giving it important historical value. It is the essence of the Xibe people's folk competitive activities and is of important value for building physical fitness, cultivating the brave and indomitable spirit of young people, and enriching the cultural life of the masses.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Baorenqianben 05-2552
- Lijiancan
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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