Qin Dynasty - Archery

Abstract: Archery in the pre-Qin period has a very unique position in the history of ancient Chinese sports. It is a sport, it is a culture, and it is also an important means and measure of social management. In this context, bow and arrow production has also formed a set of technical and management norms at the national level to continuously meet social needs and promote the sustainable and healthy development of archery.

Unlike other sports, the perfect performance of archery requires not only good quality conditions of athletes, but also good intermediary means, that is, handy bow and arrow equipment. Therefore, when we examine the reasons why the pre-Qin archery movement can flourish, the issue of bow and arrow production must become another important research content that we need to pay serious attention to. Just as heredity and variation constitute a history of biological evolution, the colorful development of science and technology in both the East and the West is also a history of inheritance and innovation. In the history of the development of ancient Chinese science and technology, there is an indelible traceability, that is, the development of pre-Qin craftsmanship and technology represented by "Kaogongji".

A book called "Kaogong Ji" records 30 types of official handicrafts at that time. Not only are the division of labor clear and each has its own duties, but there is also a set of strict management systems in the entire production process, such as unified component names, strict material selection, specified production processes, and product inspection. This is obviously not a private workshop for general folk handicrafts, but a technical process system with the nature of a national production enterprise. Among them, there are three types of work directly related to the archery sport in the pre-Qin period, namely "bow man", "arrow man", and "carpenter".

In the pre-Qin period, bows and arrows were not only important weapons for military struggle, but also utensils for school education, social etiquette, and leisure and entertainment. The booming archery sport has led to an increase in the demand for bows and arrows in society, and it is necessary to consider the supply guarantee from the national level. This has led to the special historical background of the production of bows and arrows in the pre-Qin period, which used the unified management of the state as a means to ensure the continuous and healthy development of archery through material guarantees. At the same time, the multi-functional and multi-target nature of the pre-Qin archery sport determined the diversified development path of the bow and arrow production process.

1. The bow and arrow production concept of conforming to nature and achieving harmony between man and nature

In the "General Preface to Kaogongji", it is proposed that "the sky has its time, the earth has its air, the materials are beautiful, and the craftsmanship is ingenious: only when these four are combined can it be good." That is to say, to make fine utensils, it is necessary to conform to the time of the sky, the earth's air, and have the four major principles of beautiful materials and ingenious craftsmanship. This is a kind of "harmony" thought concept, which is the creation principle and value standard of ancient Chinese handicraft industry. The bow and arrow production in the pre-Qin Dynasty also adhered to this principle.

1.1 Select materials according to the season

The allusion of "strengthening seven pieces" in the archery activities of the pre-Qin Dynasty not only shows that the archer needs to have great strength, but also reflects that the production of bows needs to have quite high quality requirements, that is, it emphasizes that the bow's bearing capacity should be one of the important criteria in the production of bows and arrows. Therefore, the selection of bow materials becomes an important prerequisite. Therefore, "Kaogong Ji" said: "There are seven ways to select bows: 柘 is the best, 檍 is the second, 严桑 is the second, 桔 is the third, 木瓜 is the third, 荆 is the third, and 竹 is the third." This means that when selecting bow materials, the quality standards can be divided into seven grades: the first grade is 柘, the second grade is 檍, the third grade is 严桑, the fourth grade is 桔, the fifth grade is 木瓜, the sixth grade is 荆, and the seventh grade is bamboo. This historical material not only introduces the meticulous selection standards, but also condenses the great wisdom accumulated by the long-term practice of handicraft manufacturers at that time.

The craftsmen of the pre-Qin Dynasty not only knew that "when selecting bow materials, the color should be red and black and the sound should be clear when knocked." They even knew how to select and treat materials according to the requirements of different seasons. "When making bows, in winter, the bows are separated and the corners are melted in spring, the tendons are treated in summer, the three materials are combined in autumn, the body is laid in cold, and the bows are separated in ice." But why do they do this? Because it is easier to treat the dry wood in winter; it is easier to make the horns flexible in spring; it is easier to treat the tendons in summer; and it is more solid and tight to combine the three materials of dry wood, horns and tendons with glue, lacquer and silk in autumn. Fix the bow body in the cold winter season, and it will no longer deform when the string is stretched; it is easier to determine whether the circular lacquer pattern meets the requirements by checking the lacquer pattern in the freezing winter.

Another example is that when choosing "horns", the horns of cattle slaughtered in autumn are thick, and the horns of cattle slaughtered in spring are thin; the horns of calves are straight and moist, and the horns of old cattle are not straight and dry; the horns of cattle with long-term illness will be injured and uneven, and the horns of thin cattle are not moist. The horns should be bluish-white in color and thick at the end. This not only introduces the selection of the best materials, but also points out other reasons for not being selected, which explains the professional ethics of the craftsmen who strive for excellence.

"Kaogong Ji" also said: When choosing glue, it should be red and dry. The lacquer should be clear, and the silk should be the color when it is boiled in water. When selecting tendons, the tendons should be long and small, and the knots at the ends of the tendons should be large and moist. The tendons should be long and small, and the knots at the ends of the tendons should be large and moist. The beasts with such tendons must move swiftly. The arrows shot out of bows made of its tendons can be as fast as those of beasts. It is not difficult to see from this process of selecting tendons how the craftsmen of the pre-Qin Dynasty summarized the theory of bow and arrow production with universal guiding significance in practice through observation of natural things.

1_. The Doctrine of the Mean in the Process of Craft Production

In ancient China, there is an idiom that things will turn to the opposite direction when they reach their limit. The basic principle it tells people is that when certain things develop to their limit, they will transform to the opposite direction. The so-called "Kan" and "Dui" are dangerous, and when they are said to be too extreme, they are all evil ways." Therefore, the Doctrine of the Mean has become a long-term accumulation of the psychological structure of the Chinese nation. Its guidance on health preservation is that people need to remain neutral and peaceful, and it believes that excessive joy, anger, sorrow and happiness will damage people's health. The Doctrine of the Mean is also reflected in the process of bow and arrow production in the pre-Qin Dynasty.

For example, "Kaogong Ji" says: When kneading bow stems with fire, they should be cooked but not overcooked; when kneading horns with fire, they should be cooked but not burnt; when stretching tendons, they should be stretched as much as possible, but not broken and damaged; when boiling glue, they should be cooked, and the water and fire used should be just right. Bows made in this way will not deform when placed in a dry place; nor will they deform when placed in a wet place. However, if there are craftsmen with poor skills, they will inevitably knead the horns and stems when they are wet and easy to knead, just for the appearance to look good, while the factors of change are hidden inside. Even if the appearance can be good, the inside will inevitably change, and no matter how good the appearance is, it cannot be a good bow.

Here we see not only the teaching of a technical theory and the strengthening of professional ethics in the process of bow and arrow making, but also a "uniform" Chinese philosophical theory.

2 Requirements for bow and arrow making that are people-oriented and human-tool-integrated

From the ancient totems to the fierce beauty of bronze in the ancient slave society, from getting rid of the various concepts of primitive witchcraft and religion to laying the foundation for the cultural-psychological structure of the Chinese nation. The general trend of thought and tendency throughout is rationalism. Therefore, the idea of humanism had already sprouted as early as the Xia Dynasty. The so-called "people are the foundation of the country, and the country will be peaceful if the foundation is solid" is the basic understanding of people during this period. After the Spring and Autumn Period, with the breaking of the authority of "heaven", the idea of humanism has not only become clearer, but has also been widely used in sociological theory, among which "the benevolent love people, the people are the most important, the king is the least important, and the country is the second". It can even be said that it has become a great truth generally recognized by people at that time. However, what is amazing is that this people-oriented thought in the pre-Qin period not only exists in the theoretical world, but has also penetrated into many aspects of people's lives, including the bow and arrow making process in the pre-Qin period. In fact, while opening the door to the scientific and technological civilization of the pre-Qin period, "Kaogongji" also devoted more attention to "humanistic care" and injected the idea of "ergonomics" from the perspective of psychology, so as to achieve the optimal design height of objects and human body and mind in the production of bows and arrows, and it is particularly outstanding in the reasonable matching of people, bows and arrows.

2.1 The matching of bow and arrow production with the natural human body

In the configuration of people, bows, arrows, and "的", archers have different configurations due to differences in temperament, body shape, and qi and blood. There are respectively the best and worst bow and arrow production requirements: fat and short, with a relaxed temperament and slow movements, such an An person should make a strong and fast Wei bow for him, and the Wei bow should be matched with a soft and slow An arrow; resolute and agile, irritable and fast Wei people should make a soft and slow An bow for him, and the soft and slow An bow should be matched with a strong and fast Wei arrow.

It is generally believed that if a person's temperament is gentle, his bow is also gentle, and his arrow is also gentle; then, the arrow shot out cannot hit quickly, nor can it penetrate deeply. Similarly, if a person's temperament is impatient, his bow is also strong and fast, then the arrow shot out cannot hit carefully. Therefore, there are eight matching schemes for the combination of man, bow and arrow, namely: Anren-Wei bow-An arrow; Weiren-Anren-Wei arrow; Anren-An bow-An arrow; Weiren-Wei bow-Wei arrow; Anren-An bow-Wei arrow; Anren-An bow-Wei arrow; Anren-Wei bow-Wei arrow; Weiren-An bow-An arrow; Weiren-Wei bow-An arrow; Weiren-Wei bow-Wei arrow.

This combination allows us to see the optimal design in bow and arrow production that people pursued at that time. In the matching of man, bow and arrow, the first and second designs above should usually be understood as the optimal design and the best combination.

In addition, in the matching of bow and arrow production with the natural human body, the best match of height and bow length is also considered, so that people can exert their abilities to the extreme within the scope of their physical practice. For example, the "Kaogong Ji" says: A bow that is six feet and six inches long is called the upper system and is used by tall people; a bow that is six feet and three inches long is called the middle system and is used by people of medium height; a bow that is six feet long is called the lower system and is used by short people.

In addition to considering different heights, the following production theories were also summarized at that time in terms of the object and the bow body. The bow body has a large arc that bends outward and a small arc that bends inward, which makes it a bow like the Jia and Yu, which is good for shooting the Marquis of Xian and the flying birds. The arc that bends outward is small and the arc that bends inward is large, which makes it a bow like the Wang bow; it is good for shooting leather armor and 椹板. The arc that bends outward and inward is the same, which makes it a bow like the Tang bow; it is good for deep shooting.

From the above technical parameters, we can see not only people's mastery of human knowledge, but more importantly, the emphasis on the "unity of man and tool" in bow and arrow production.

2.2 The consistency between bow and arrow production and social groups

The people-oriented thought in bow and arrow production in the pre-Qin period is not only reflected in the understanding and grasp of the natural human body, but also in the understanding and grasp of social groups, that is, it emphasizes that bow and arrow production should serve to meet the needs of different social groups, thus reflecting the social attributes in bow and arrow production. For example, "Zhou Li" said: "If you make a marquis of leather and a swan, you will be rewarded in spring. If you make a marquis of five colors, you will be a distant country. If you make a marquis of beasts, the king will rest in Yan." Marquis is the target for archery. In the slave society with strict social hierarchy, even when making targets for archery, it is necessary to consider that different production standards should be adopted for different groups, so that the awareness of people-oriented and serving people will always run through the process of bow and arrow production.

For example, regarding the production of arrows, the requirement is "the arrow maker makes arrows. The length of the 缑 arrow is divided into three parts, and the length of the 猀 arrow is divided into three parts, one is in front and two are in the back. The length of the 兵射 and 田射 is divided into five parts, two are in front and three are in the back. The length of the 杀射 is divided into seven parts, three are in front and four are in the back." That is to say, the arrow maker makes arrows. Divide the length of the 缑 arrow into three equal parts, and the length of the 杀射 arrow into three equal parts, one is in front and two are in the back. Divide the length of the 兵射 and 田射 into five equal parts, two are in front and three are in the back. Divide the length of the 茀 arrow into seven equal parts, three are in front and four are in the back. All of these are to ensure that the weight of the front and back is equal. It is also said that among all arrows, the 歪射 and 絜射 are good for shooting with fire, and are used for defending the city or chariot fighting. The 杀射 and 缑射 are used for close shooting or hunting. 矰射 and 猀射 are used to shoot flying birds. 恒射 and 庳射 are used for scattering (ritual shooting or practice shooting, etc.).

The above not only proposes that the production of arrows should take into account the different purposes and functions of archery, but also includes the different production requirements for different identities in the production of bows and arrows.

3 The etiquette culture that originated in the pre-Qin period is the core of Chinese traditional culture and a civilization system that contains unique values and humanistic concepts. The ubiquitous etiquette system in the pre-Qin period is not only an important means to implement social management and maintain social stability, but also an ideological driving force for the continuous development of social progress. "Zuo Zhuan Yin Gong Eleventh Year" said: "Ritual is the one that governs the country, determines the country, orders the people, and benefits the descendants." As a result, the norms and requirements of etiquette permeate all aspects of society. Therefore, a "Kaogong Ji" not only records the selection of materials and the process of craftsmanship when making bows and arrows, but also shows the world the profound connotation of "the etiquette is hidden in the instrument". For example, when making bows and arrows, the strength and appearance should be different, and this difference is determined by the identity of the user, thus conveying a concept of "etiquette" to people. That is, using bows and arrows as carriers, it not only creates a sacred atmosphere in ritual activities, but also presents the identity and status of the performers, as well as their specific feelings towards the objects they interact with (whether they are people or gods).