Explore the Hometown of Chinese Bows and Arrows

Chabuchaer County, located in the middle of the Ili River Valley, is the only Xibe Autonomous County in China. The long history, culture and folk customs of the Xibe people are well preserved here. The history of the Xibe people is a history of bows and arrows, and a heroic poem of defending the country and garrisoning the border. Just as Su Shi described in "Jiangchengzi·Mizhou Hunting": "I can draw a carved bow like a full moon, look northwest, and shoot the wolf in the sky." The "treasure of the town" in the Chabuchaer County Bow and Arrow Cultural Museum is a "Chinese Supreme Bow" about 3.4 meters long, which is known as the longest range. The only ethnic group in China's 56 ethnic stamps with bows and arrows, how did they make such exquisite bows and arrows? What is the secret? Why can the bow and arrow culture be preserved so intact in this small county when the bow and arrow culture that was once developed by many ethnic groups is endangered and disappearing?

"Inherit" the sensitive fingertips of ancestors

Pick up the bow and arrow, hold your breath and concentrate. "Swoosh..." Long arrows fly out of the string. "Why is it that in such a small Chabuchaer County, where there are only 20,000 Xibe people, there have been so many archery experts for so many years?" Someone once asked in confusion. "Because the Xibe people have always had a tradition of archery." A few years ago, Guo Yingqing, a coach at the Chabuchaer County Archery Sports School, believed this. Now, he has a deeper understanding of this. "The blood of every Xibe person is good at archery, which is the archery gene passed down to us by our ancestors." The archery gene seems so mysterious that it is unbelievable, but it seems to really exist. From their ancestors, the Xibe people "inherited" the sensitive fingertips. The Xibe people are known for their "good riding and shooting skills". Historical records say that the ancestors of the Xibe people: "Children can ride sheep and shoot black birds and mice with bows. Young people shoot foxes and rabbits for food. Strong men can shoot bows and are all armored cavalry." "The people are good at riding and shooting, and are proud of dying in battle. Their specialty is horn-end bows."

The "Resurrection" of the Eight Banners Ox Horn Bow

As early as 2001, Yi Chunguang heard that the Sports Committee of Cha County had an Eight Banners Ox Horn Bow brought by his ancestors when they migrated westward. He immediately went to see it with a "pilgrimage" heart. After seeing it, he was very excited: "It is so exquisite! Its inner tube is made of bamboo, and the bow body is made of wild goat horns, wrapped with beef tendons, and has great elasticity; the bow handle is made of beef thigh bones; the wooden bow tips at both ends are equipped with 'tips' made of beef horns..." He borrowed the bow as a sample on the pretext of helping to refresh the bow and arrow, and began to concentrate on making it. Wild goats are now a national first-class protected animal, so he must not be careless. He asked someone to find buffalo horns from the south, and asked friends in the northeast to send beef tendons and fish glue... More than 200 processes, Yi Chunguang copied them without any carelessness: the bow frame is made of bamboo, the bow body is covered with a layer of fiber made from beef tendons, the stirrups are made of ox horns, the bow tip is made of hardwood, and the tip of the bow tip is also equipped with an ox horn tip - so that it will not be worn out by the bowstring even if it is used for many years, and the bow handle is made of solid ox thigh bones... The first "retro" ox horn bow he made has 70 pounds of elasticity and a range of up to 150 meters. Before the "resurrection", the craftsmanship of making the Eight Banners ox horn bow had been lost for many years. Yi Chunguang said: "In winter, we cut the materials, in spring, we plan the ox horns, in summer, we make the tendons, and in autumn, we put them together. It takes more than a year to make an Eight Banners ox horn bow."

The Archer in front of Tiananmen Square

The Xibe people are strong and brave, and love bows and arrows. Almost all adults have the unique skill of shooting through the willow tree from a hundred steps away, which can be called the "bow and arrow tribe." Most of the invaders who had insulted the Xibe people had tasted the bitterness of the Xibe people's iron-headed long arrows. In the late Ming Dynasty, Nurhaci, the leader of the emerging Manchu nobles, led his army to conquer nine ethnic minorities including the Xibe and Ula in the northeast. In a fierce battle, Nurhaci's iron helmet was pierced by the sharp arrows of the Xibe people and pierced his skull. The Xibe people, who make a living with bows and arrows, also have many historical generals who are famous for their bows and arrows and martial arts. The most famous one is Salin'a, the eldest son of Xibe General Ergulun who participated in the suppression of the Junggar rebellion. According to Xibe historical records, Salin'a started practicing archery at the age of 5, and went to war with his father at the age of 18. He made great contributions and was called the sharpshooter of the Xibe people. Salin'a can do three arrows on one horse! That is, riding on a galloping horse, shooting three arrows in a row within a range of 100 meters, and each arrow hits the bull's eye of the target. This is something modern people can't do. The emperor at that time heard about Salina's archery skills and even invited him to the palace to meet him. He performed his archery skills in front of Tiananmen Square at that time, shocking everyone. He was praised by the emperor as the archer of the Eight Banners of Xibe.

A compulsory course for Xibe men

The Xibe people spend their lives with bows and arrows. In the old days, every village had an archery field, and every family had bows and arrows. Being an "archer" was considered an unparalleled honor. When a boy was born in a family, a small bow and arrow must be hung on the door with a red string, wishing the child to become a brave and good archer. On the third day after a boy is born, the elders will shoot an arrow towards the sky, the earth, and the east, west, south, and north, wishing that the offspring will be able to stand tall and upright in the future; when the boy is four or five years old, the parents will make a small bow and arrow for him to conduct early training in archery; when he is fifteen or sixteen years old, he will undergo strict riding and archery training under the guidance of a coach and participate in various folk archery competitions; after he turns eighteen, he will participate in the official strict riding and archery assessment every year. Those who meet the standards will register as "Wokjin" and enlist in the army to become warriors who swear to defend the territory. As soldiers and civilians who have guarded the border for generations, the Xibe people immediately become brave warriors whenever the local and border situation changes, rushing to the place where the country needs them and fighting against the enemy. After death, they will also accompany their beloved bows and arrows to the "heaven" on their way back. Bows and arrows accompany the Xibe people in their birth and growth, and finally melt into the souls and bones of the Xibe people.

Thousands of years of craftsmanship have not been interrupted

"The general's horn bow cannot be controlled, and the protector general's iron armor is cold and difficult to wear." This poem by Tang Dynasty poet Ke Can is about the horn bow that is particularly famous for the Xibe people. Horn bows are generally made of buffalo horns or northern goat horns. After selecting the animal horns, they are first cut by hand, and then further polished and flattened. Next, the animal horns need to be wedge-punched and glued to make the bow firm. They also need to be soaked in grease to prevent the bow from rotting during use. The back of the bow needs to be backed with beef tendons, which can play a role in strengthening the bow. The bows and arrows of the Xibe people have a very significant feature: there is an arrow stand on the bow handle, and the arrow rest here can effectively improve the stability of the bow and arrow. Perhaps it is this small design that allows the Xibe people to gain a firm foothold in the bleak Yili region. The Xibe people's whistling arrows are also unique. The arrowheads made of animal bones have four small holes. When the arrow leaves the string, the air passes through the small holes and makes a unique whistling sound, which not only reduces air resistance and allows the arrow to fly more steadily and quickly, but also reduces the weight of the arrow and allows the arrow to fly farther. A seemingly simple bow and arrow of the Xibe people requires the use of hundreds of special tools and nearly one hundred processes, and it takes more than twenty days to complete a bow. This is the "human touch" that modern assembly line engineering cannot match.

Understanding the way of "inaction"

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, archery was called the six arts of gentlemen, and it emphasized self-cultivation. Confucius and Mencius raised the archery ceremony to the height of philosophy, emphasizing the Confucian thought that "inaction" is "action". Mencius said: "If you shoot but don't hit the target, look for the reason in yourself." It means that if an archer fails to hit the bull's eye but blames himself or external conditions, he is doomed to fail. Only by doing "inaction" can he be truly "action". Archery training is to train the mind, which reflects a person's moral quality. A person with morals and qualities will be polite when shooting arrows. He will not pay attention to the results, but only to the process, pursuing a selfless spiritual realm, and reaching the level of unity between man and arrow. "Shooting to observe etiquette" has become an important criterion for evaluating a person's moral cultivation in ancient times. As a nation that has been accompanied by bows and arrows throughout their lives, the Xibe people have inherited the profound thoughts of Chinese Confucianism very well. Before each archery match, the Xibe people will greet each other as a kind of archery ceremony. Afterwards, there will be wonderful sacrifices, challenges and other activities, and the results of the competition are no longer important.

The production skills have successors

Today, the "bow and arrow making skills" of the Xibe people have been included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists, and Yi Chunguang, who is nearly 70 years old, has a growing love for the diagonal bow. After years of unremitting efforts, the craftsmanship of Xibe horn bows has been well inherited and excavated. Yi Chunguang himself has been listed as the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of the Xibe horn bows in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and a master of arts and crafts at the autonomous region level. Yi Chunguang is very confident in the craftsmanship of Xibe horn bows. The bows he made have participated in several national expositions, and are no less impressive than those made in other provinces and other ethnic groups. However, in Cha County and even in the whole of Xinjiang, there are very few young Xibe people who are interested in bows and arrows. Yi Chunguang said that although bows and arrows are no longer very practical in contemporary society, this bow-making craft that has been passed down for thousands of years should not be discontinued. In fact, as early as 2003, Yi Chunguang founded the "Xilidan" (the transliteration of "arrow" in the Xibe language) bow and arrow making club to develop and research traditional bows and arrows of different materials. Today, he has accepted more than 20 apprentices, and more and more people have mastered the craftsmanship of Xibe horn bows.