Bow and Arrow Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
In the 29th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1764), more than four thousand Sibo (Xibe) soldiers and civilians migrated westward from the Liaoning-Shenyang region to the Ili area of Xinjiang to garrison the frontier and open land for settlement. Influenced by the mounted-archery culture prevalent in the Qing dynasty, bows and arrows became their weapon of choice for guarding the western frontier.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Sibo people of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have long been renowned for their skill in mounted archery, and bows and arrows are an indispensable and important part of their ethnic culture. Through long development, bows and arrows among the Xinjiang Sibo gradually turned into implements of folk competition, used mainly in archery contests. In the past, almost every Sibo household in Xinjiang made bows and arrows by hand for various competitions, but later the handcraft of bow-making nearly died out. In recent years, Tao Wenxin, a craftsman in his seventies from Sunzhaqi Nuru Township, Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, has brought about the revival of the long-lost folk bow-and-arrow making technique. What he makes is the whistling-arrow bow: the arrowhead is made of animal bone, is pointed and round in shape, and has four small holes. Once the arrow leaves the bowstring, its speed forces air through the small holes, producing a whistling sound. The target is specially made from horsehide and felt, with cloth rings sewn from fabric in six colors; the bullseye is red. The making of a single bow includes cutting, sawing, planing, decorating, and many other processes, requires the use of over a hundred specialized tools, passes through nearly one hundred process steps, and takes more than twenty days to complete.
Archival Record of Process Steps
The making of a single bow includes cutting, sawing, planing, decorating, and many other processes, requires the use of over a hundred specialized tools, passes through nearly one hundred process steps, and takes more than twenty days to complete.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Tao Wenxin makes bows mainly from local red willow and ox tendon, and also uses hardwood timbers such as large-leaved ash, black locust, and elm.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Juyuanhaogongjian Making Craftsmanship · Bow and Arrow Making Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The revival of the Sibo bow-and-arrow making technique, which was on the verge of being lost, is of great significance for transmitting Sibo ethnic culture and promoting the national spirit. Yi Chunguang (from the official archive records of the associated inheritor): Male, Sibo ethnicity, born in October 1947, from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Representative inheritor of the bow-and-arrow making technique (Sibo bow-and-arrow making technique), a fifth-batch national-level intangible cultural heritage project. Fourth-generation inheritor of the bow-and-arrow making technique. From childhood he learned the traditional Sibo horn-bow making technique from his father; his lineage is orderly and clear. He has comprehensively mastered the project's exquisite core techniques, is familiar with the more than one hundred procedures of bow-and-arrow making, is deeply versed in horn-bow and wooden-bow manufacture, and has reproduced representative works of the Eight Banners horn bow with outstanding skill. He established a handicraft workshop in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, where he takes on apprentices and teaches the craft; he has accepted twelve disciples. Among them, Yi Chenyong has been named a master of industrial arts of Xinjiang. Using a registered company as a platform, he is committed to the cultural dissemination of archery, the transmission of the craft, digital preservation, and the replication of ancient bows and arrows.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Yang Fuxi 01-0166
- Yi Chunguang 05-2756
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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