The Development of Archery - Song Dynasty

Archery is an agricultural production activity gradually invented by human ancestors in their daily life. At the beginning, archery was not for entertainment or war, but to solve the basic food and clothing problem of people at that time. Primitive people did not know how to farm, and when they were hungry, they had to catch some animals to fill their stomachs. With the development and progress of social civilization, in the clan and tribal period, the main purpose of archery was also quietly changing. It was no longer an agricultural production activity for people to survive, but was regarded as a way of war between city-states to compete for land and rights, and became a military martial arts activity. In feudal society, archery was increasingly valued by rulers. It was not only a good war tool, but also a good entertainment activity for rulers when they were free. In the six arts of the Zhou Dynasty, there was a content related to "shooting". Later, archery had another function-entertainment, and archery was increasingly valued by rulers and upper-class people.

1. "Dasheyi" in the Song Dynasty

There was a saying of "Dasheyi" in the Song Dynasty. "The ceremony of the Great Shooting Ceremony was abolished in the Five Dynasties, and Emperor Taizong ordered officials to draft the rules and regulations of the Great Shooting Ceremony. All the ministers came to the court to pay homage to the emperor like the New Year's Day. After three rounds of wine, the officials said, 'Please grant the kings and dukes the right to shoot', and the minister said it was OK. The emperor changed into a military uniform and laid seven strokes under the palace. The kings and dukes shot in turn. The east and west wings of the music county were opened, and bears and tigers were set up." The Great Shooting Ceremony was abolished in the Five Dynasties, which means that this ceremony had already existed before the Five Dynasties. The article says that Emperor Taizong of Song ordered people to draft the system and regulations of the Great Shooting Ceremony. On this day, all the ministers came to participate in the Great Shooting Ceremony like a formal meeting. First, they drank wine. After three rounds of wine, the Great Shooting Ceremony began. At this time, the emperor changed into a military uniform and a military hat, and placed something like a low wall in the palace. Musicians played music in the east and west wings, and bear and tiger targets were placed in the palace.

Since it is a competition, the rankings must be determined. The good ones should be rewarded to encourage them to perform better next time, and the bad ones should be punished in the hope that they can make progress next time, so as to inspire the fighting spirit of the participants. "The rewards are displayed on the east steps to encourage the capable ones; the rich wine is set on the west steps to punish the incompetent ones." "The emperor will untie the officials who pass the pre-shooting, and give them clothes, gold belts, and scattered horses. If they do not untie, they will not be given." The general meaning is that during the competition, the rewards are placed on the east side, which include clothes, belts, and horses. The trays and wine vessels for the wine vessels are placed on the west side, and if the contestants do not shoot well, they will be punished to drink.

As one of the important ceremonies in the palace, the process of the Grand Shooting Ceremony is far from as simple as described above. The process of the Grand Shooting Ceremony is recorded in detail in Volume 114 of "History of the Song Dynasty", "Jiali V". "Zhenghe Banquet and Archery Ceremony: The emperor is in the archery palace, the banquet officials wear official uniforms and shoes, the archery officials wear narrow clothes, and the emperor plays the song of "May the emperor be blessed", bows twice and goes up to the palace. After three rounds of wine, the archery officials are led down, all holding bows and arrows, thanking the emperor and bowing again, the three dukes and below sit on the right, the archery officials sit on the left, and those who do not shoot sit according to their seats." The general meaning is that before the grand archery ceremony, the emperor first entertains all officials in the archery palace and gives them clothes to wear when shooting, and at the same time, all officials have to thank the emperor for his kindness. After three rounds of wine, the bows and arrows are given to the officials who are going to shoot, and these officials have to thank the emperor again. The officials who are going to compete sit on the left, and the officials who are not competing sit on the right according to the level of their official positions.

As the highest ruler of feudal society, the emperor must of course compete at such an important ceremony. Not only does he have to compete, but he is also the first person to shoot. If the emperor hit the target, the etiquette would be much more complicated. In Volume 114 of the History of Song Dynasty, "Good Rites 5", it is recorded as follows: "When the emperor hits the target for the first time, the officials praise and bow. All the officials on the left and right, except the eunuchs, bow again on the steps. The officials of the gate, the imperial guards, the various squads, the personal attendants, and the various officials praise and bow again. The archery squad bows and reports in the hall, kneels and receives the bowl. The archery officer first passes the bow and arrow to the palace attendant, standing at the side. The eunuch receives the bowl, bows, stands up, and bows again on the steps. The officials bring in the imperial tea bed, and Tianwu leads the horses to the shooting platform. The officials say long blessings to the emperor, and the officials of the east gate come to the emperor, report the name of the squad leader and serve wine. The chief and the lower officials stand sideways, the assistants bow twice, the leader of the group brings in wine, the music starts, after drinking, the ministers in the hall bow again. The servants are given wine, all the officials bow again, the assistants sit down, after all the officials stand, the officials are ushered in to the steps, the officials are called in to bring out the offerings, the Tianwu brings out the horses, the music starts, the assistants sit down again, after drinking, they bow, and the officials gather the things they sit in. The archer stands on the left side of the steps, takes the bow and arrows and stands by. If the emperor hits the target again or hits twice, the ceremony is as above. When serving wine, the emperor will ask for the emperor's order, and when the emperor gets the order, he will serve wine, and he will not serve the flat bowl. When he gets the target, he will not congratulate or serve wine. "

The emperor has such complicated etiquette when shooting arrows, so what etiquette do the ministers have when shooting arrows? In Volume 114 of the History of the Song Dynasty, "Auspicious Ceremony V", it is recorded as follows: "When the ministers and officials hit the target, they are led down the steps and bow twice, and the emperor stands beside them. When the emperor unhooks the arrows and hits the target, the archery squad is called to present bowls, as in the previous ceremony. The attendants lead the officials to shoot again, and the eunuchs bow in front of the hall and announce in person, 'There is an imperial decree, granting narrow clothes and golden belts.' They kneel to receive, pass the box and bow twice, pass the hall and wear the gifts, and then are led to the hall to bow again, and do not shoot again. If they are ordered to shoot again, or more arrows are given to shoot, if they do not retreat, they take their seats and bow again. If they hit the target again, the emperor will unhook the arrows again, and grant saddled horses as in the previous ceremony. When the ministers and officials hit the target, the emperor does not unhook the arrows, and they are led down the steps to bow again and stand. The archery squad is called to report in the hall and then leave the hall, and the attendants announce, 'There is an imperial decree, granting silver bowls.'" They kneel to receive the bowl and arrow, bow, stand up, and bow again. If the officials are to be given scattered horses, they will be announced together, and the announcement will be made, "There is an imperial decree to grant silver bowls and a number of scattered horses." After shooting, the imperial tea table is brought in, and the various departments will set up seats, etc. After the officials stand up, they will be praised for sitting, and all the officials will sit. The five elements of wine are served, and the announcement of the cover and the announcement of the exhortation are as usual, and music is played. After the banquet, the eunuchs hold the imperial tea table, and the three dukes and others go down the steps and bow again, and then leave." Obviously, the quality of the ministers' shooting is evaluated by rewards. If the minister hits the target, the etiquette is much simpler than when the emperor hits the target. If the minister hits the target, he only needs to kneel down to the emperor. At this time, the archery team will present the minister's shooting results to the emperor, and the emperor will reward the minister according to the quality of the archery.

2. Archery in martial arts and martial arts examinations

Martial arts is the earliest specialized school established in the Song Dynasty. In the third year of the Qingli period, the imperial decree set up martial arts in the temple of King Wucheng, and Ruan Yi was appointed as the professor. In August, the military school was abolished because some people said, "Famous generals in ancient times such as Zhuge Liang, Yang Hu, and Du Yu did not only learn from Sun and Wu." In the fifth year of Xining, the Privy Council said: In ancient times, people learned from learning, and the civil and military skills were relaxed, but their way was the same. We request to re-establish the military school. "The emperor ordered to set up a school in the Temple of King Wucheng." As early as the third year of the Qingli period of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, a military school had been established in the Temple of King Wucheng. However, due to the serious idea of emphasizing civil over military at that time, the military school was abolished in August. It was not until the fifth year of Xining of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty that the military school was restored in the Temple of King Wucheng. Therefore, the actual time for the establishment of the military school should be the fifth year of Xining of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the military school was abolished for a period of time, and it was not until the sixteenth year of Shaoxing that it was re-established. "In the sixteenth year of Shaoxing, the emperor ordered the construction of a military school, and Wu Bo and Wu Yu used military books, archery, and martial arts to guide scholars. "From this passage, we can see that in martial arts learning, one must not only learn theoretical knowledge and master military tactics, but also be good at riding and archery, and understand martial arts. It can be seen that martial arts at this time have been adhering to the idea of "unity of civil and military", and archery was also listed as an important subject in martial arts at this time. The Song Dynasty inherited the Tang system. The Song Dynasty adopted the election system of the Tang Dynasty, which was divided into civil and military subjects. The civil service exam is to test eight-part essays, and the military exam is also called the military exam, and archery occupies an important position in the military exam. "The number of students and candidates is no more than 200. There is one test in spring and autumn, one stone and three buckets for archery on foot, eight buckets for archery on horseback, and five arrows hit the target; or practice martial arts, and supplement them with strategies. Although the horsepower is not as good, the academic performance is outstanding: and they are all excellent, and the upper-she students are added, no more than 30 people. Test horse archery with six buckets, archery on foot with nine buckets, one strategy, ten ways of Sun, Wu, and Six Strategies, and five movements to supplement the inner-she students. Those who are qualified in horseback archery, horse battle, proficient in countermeasures, and have good conduct will be examined and tried by the Privy Council; those who are not qualified but know the art of numbers, know the formation, have useful wisdom and strategy, or have repeatedly tested excellent strategies will be selected by the emperor to join the upper house; those who are ranked lower in martial arts and strategy will be demoted to the outer house. "

3. Archery in hunting

As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, there were sayings of spring, summer seedlings, autumn hunting, and winter hunting. In the Tang Dynasty, hunting activities had a relatively complete set of etiquette procedures, and in the Song Dynasty, this activity was still loved by the rulers. "Hunting. In the second year of Taizu Jianlong, hunting began in the suburbs. First, the imperial army was sent out to the enclosure, and the five quarters were accompanied by birds of prey and small dogs. The emperor personally shot three rabbits, and the officials congratulated him for riding horses. Later, hunting was mostly carried out in the suburbs in autumn and winter or the first month of the year. Officials were given narrow robes and warm boots, and those who shot the target below the prince were given horses. ”

Later, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song, the hunting time changed again. "The emperor often hunted on the twelfth day of the twelfth month, and told his ministers: 'Hunting on the twelfth day of the twelfth month is in accordance with the season, and slowing down the reins to follow the prey is not a waste. '" At this time, the emperor changed the hunting time to the twelfth month. The reason was that hunting in the twelfth month could follow the change of seasons and ease the reproduction of animals, so that the number of animals would not decrease. Obviously, the reform of hunting during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song was of great significance. At the same time, the prey brought back from hunting would be sent to the ancestral temple for sacrifice. "The emperor ordered that in ancient times, the prey would be offered to the ancestral temple with the prey they caught, but the ritual had been abandoned for a long time, and now it can be restored. So it became a fixed pattern." The custom of sending the prey to the ancestral temple was obviously not formed during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song, but it had been abandoned for a long time and was restored at this time. The emperor did not like hunting, and abolished the duties of the "five quarters" that raised falcons and hounds for the emperor.

The falcons and hounds in the five quarters were all released, and the civil and military officials were allowed to offer falcons and hounds. There is such an example in the History of Song Dynasty: "After that, Zhao Baozhong, the governor of Dingnan Army, presented a cuckoo named 'Haidongqing', and the emperor gave it back to him."

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, the emperor issued an edict to raise more than ten relatively good falcons for display when the kings followed him. He did not allow the hunting grounds to be fenced off, but allowed the people to carry out normal farming and grazing. "During the reign of Emperor Renzong, some people said that the hunting system was to comply with the seasons and train the army, and requested to revise this ritual. So the emperor ordered the Privy Council to propose a system. At the fifth drum on the hunting day, the emperor went to the inner east gate, gave three rows of wine to the officials, played Junrong music, went to the gate of Qionglin Garden, and gave food to the officials. Then he hunted in Yangcun, feasted in the tent hall, and played Jiaofang music. He sent envoys to offer the spoils to the Taimiao. After that, he summoned the elders to come and question them, and gave them food, tea, and silk, as well as silver and silk for the soldiers of the five quarters. Prime Minister Jia Changchao and others said: "Your Majesty will temporarily visit the suburbs, hunt in accordance with the season, and take fresh meat and offer it to the temple to show your filial piety; go to the plateau to review the military supplies in person to discuss military affairs; ask the elders and give them iron orders to support their elderly; give benefits to the hard-working farmers to encourage farming. When you go out with the four beauties, you will have them all. I hope you will announce it to the History Museum.' It was agreed." During the reign of Emperor Renzong, the etiquette system for hunting was further standardized. Before the hunting, a banquet was held, three rows of wine were drunk, music was played, and hunting was carried out. The prey was sent to the Taimiao. The emperor not only hunted during the hunting, but also summoned some older people to inquire and rewarded them with some tea, silk and other things. At this time, hunting activities were not only for entertainment, but also for training the army. "The emperor said that hunting was for training military affairs, not just for the gains, so he allowed it. He exempted the rent of the people's fields within the enclosure for one year, and still summoned the elders to inquire about the labor. Later, because there were many people who advised against it, hunting near the fields was stopped. Since then, it has not been discussed again until the end of Jingkang."

From the above paragraphs, it can be seen that the Song Dynasty inherited the hunting activities of the previous dynasty and reformed them on the original basis to make it more institutionalized and standardized. The hunting activities were not only a way for the rulers of the Song Dynasty to entertain themselves, but also played an important role in the stability of the Song Dynasty.

4. Folk archery organizations in the Song Dynasty

Archery activities were not only valued by the upper rulers during the Song Dynasty. At the same time, the degree of people's love for it has reached the point of "unprecedented and unrivaled", and the most representative of them is the "archery club" organized by the people. The "archery club" is recorded in the "History of Song Dynasty" as follows: "It has existed in Hebei for a long time. In December of the third year of Xining, Teng Fu, the governor of Dingzhou, said: "In the mountains and valleys near the prefectures and counties of Hebei, the people have their own archery clubs and hunters, and their habits are convenient, just like the barbarians. I want to ask the local prefectures and counties to recruit all kinds of public officials and people in the city and villages who are brave and willing to learn archery to form their own clubs. Every spring, the senior officials will review and test them. The northerners are strong and can be used in times of emergency. "Accept it."

From the above, we can know that the "archery club" existed in Hebei very early, and it was abandoned for a period of time. It was re-established in the Song Dynasty. Su Shi, a writer and poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, played a major role in the re-establishment of the "archery club". This can also be found in the "History of Song Dynasty". In November of the eighth year of Yuanyou, Su Shi, the governor of Dingzhou, said: "Now the western route of Heshuo has been occupied by the border state army. Since the peace talks with Xuanyuan, the people have united themselves into archery clubs. No matter how wealthy or poor the family is, one person is sent out from each household. They also select those who are well-off and have good martial arts as the head of the club, deputy head of the club, and recorder, who are called leaders. They carry bows and hoes, wear swords and chop wood, go in and out of the mountains, and have the same food and skills as the enemy country. They set up rewards and punishments, which are stricter than the government. They patrol in shifts, and the shops are facing each other. If they leak the northern bandits and local robbers and fail to catch them, the people on duty will be severely punished. When they are in a hurry, they beat drums and can attract thousands of people in an instant. They are equipped with weapons, armor, saddles and horses, and always look like bandits. Because the graves of relatives are there, people fight on their own, and the enemy is deeply afraid of them. ... In the sixth year of Xining, the baojia system, the strong men, and the archery societies were abolished. In the seventh year of Xining, the households supplying the two places were not organized into baojia, except for the archery societies, strong men, and volunteers who still remained. Looking at the above two imperial edicts in detail, except for the villages supplying the two places, the archery societies were still allowed to be established, and the rest were abolished. Although there were the above instructions, the public and private sectors inherited it, and Yuan did not abolish it. It just ordered the households with more than two adults in the horse and arrow society to serve as baojia, and even to hunt down local and other thieves, and all the people in the archery society were driven to kill them. It can be seen that the prefectures and counties today all rely on these night defenses, and it is obvious that the archery society The archery societies are essential for border defense, and their power must not be abolished. However, because they also serve as baojia, they are summoned and called, and the labor is wasted and the jobs are lost. Although the name still exists, their actual use is not as good as before. I personally believe that the government provides good farmland for archers in Shaanxi and Hedong to prepare armor and horses. Today, the horse and archery societies along the border of Hebei are all the ancestral land of the households, and the government has not suffered any loss, but they sacrificed their lives to defend the border. Their armor and horses are no different from those in Shaanxi and Hedong, but the joys and sorrows are far apart, and their use is not fully utilized. Recently, in Wen'an County, Bazhou, and Beizhai of Zhending Prefecture, northern bandits have robbed people and households, and the officials who caught the thieves looked at each other with their hands clasped, unable to do anything, proving that the imperial army and archers are ineffective. If every prefecture and county had an archery society and people, If we fight to the death, how dare the northern bandits lightly invade the border camps as if they were in an uninhabited place? I have already warned the officers and officials of this route to strictly enforce rewards and punishments, and to be more careful to comfort them. I have also used the old memorials of Pang Ji to restrain them, slightly adding and subtracting them, and setting up other items. I want to ask the court to make laws, grant a little excellence, and clearly set rewards and punishments to show punishment and persuasion... "In this memorial, Su Shi explained why the "archery club" should be reset. The reason is that there are many bandits and robbers on the border, and there are not enough border officers and soldiers at that time. However, the people in the archery club are more familiar with the local geographical environment and customs, and all the members of the archery club are archery experts with high archery skills.

5. Conclusion

The above quotes from "History of Song Dynasty" respectively explain the development of archery in the Song Dynasty from four aspects: "Grand Shooting Ceremony", "Martial Arts, Military Examination", Hunting and "Archery Club", and explain the role of archery in the social stability of the Song Dynasty. In general, the development of archery in the Song Dynasty entered a new period and reached its peak.