Ancient Archery Willow

Shooting willows, which was called "beng willow" or "duan willow" in ancient times, means riding a horse and shooting willow branches with arrows. This is an ancient traditional martial arts entertainment activity.

The term "shooting willows" first appeared in the Northern Zhou Dynasty established by the Xianbei Yuwen clan. There is a sentence in Yu Xin's "The Monument of Sima Yi, the Great General of Zhou Dynasty": "Hide the pine sword and shoot the willow bow." In fact, the custom of shooting willows can be traced back to the ancient "hoofing forest" sacrificial activities of the Xianbei, Xiongnu and other northerners. "Han Shu Xiongnu Biography" says: "In autumn, when the horses are fat, the whole meeting kicks the forest and checks the number of people and livestock." Yan Shigu's note says: "The hoof means to sacrifice around the forest; the custom of the Xianbei has been passed down since ancient times. In the autumn sacrifice, there are no trees but willow branches are erected. The riders gallop around three times before stopping. This is the legacy." It can be seen that there was already a custom of sacrificing around the forest and erecting willow branches in the autumn sacrifice of the Xianbei at that time. Yan's commentary does not mention shooting willow branches. In fact, while riding around willow branches, one also shoots arrows at the branches. As a northern nomadic people who "ride and shoot as a profession", it is hard to imagine riding and not shooting during sacrifices.

Due to the great integration of ethnic groups during the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, shooting willow branches began to spread to the Central Plains. But it was not popular at the time. In the Tang Dynasty, there were only occasional records of shooting willow branches, such as the poem "September 9th" by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty: "The whip is waving to compete with lightning, and the flying feathers are in chaos in the starry sky. The willows are pierced through the stone and broken, and the strings are empty and the eyes are stretched." ("Complete Tang Poems•Volume 2") During the reign of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li She wrote "Watching the Shooting of Willow Branches". In the Song Dynasty, shooting willow branches became one of the main items of military training. According to "Yan Fanlu", "On the third day of the third month of Renchen, Li Xianzhong's cavalry soldiers were reviewed in Jinling. At the end, a willow ring was cut and inserted into the ball field, and the soldiers rode and shot it." This was the shooting willow activity in the military parade in the Song Dynasty, which was obviously freed from the constraints of the sacrificial rituals of the previous generation.

The Xijin Chronicles recorded that during the Yuan Dynasty, when the army was shooting at willows, "the three armies had flags and banners, and the military officers were all ordered to plant new willows, with willow branches one foot removed from the green and inserted five inches into the soil. They also tied handkerchiefs to the willows and remembered the ritual. One led the horse first, and the generals followed with bows. Then they would draw the bow and cut the willows. The one who cut the white part would beat the gongs and drums to win... This was the art of military generals showing off their military prowess." It clearly pointed out that shooting at willows was a way for military generals to show off their prowess. In the Ming Dynasty, palace guards often held willow shooting competitions.

Liu Ruoyu recorded in the Ming Palace History: Fire Collection that the emperors of the Ming Dynasty watched the willow shooting performances of the guards in the palace: "Fortunately, willows were planted in front of Wanshou Mountain, and the imperial guards and warriors ran and walked on horses." Shooting at willows was not only one of the military training items, but also wonderfully combined with polo activities, becoming a must-do sports activity during the Dragon Boat Festival. This custom was passed down from the Jin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty.

"History of Jin Dynasty·Chronicle of Emperor Shizong" records: "On the 5th day of the 5th month of the 3rd year of Dading, the emperor went to Guangleyuan to shoot willows on the 5th day of the 5th month. The crown prince, princes and officials all shot willows. The winners were given gifts of different kinds. The emperor also gave banquets in Changwu Hall and played ball games. This became a regular activity every year." So far, shooting willows and playing ball games on the Dragon Boat Festival have become a custom. When holding shooting willows activities, a large venue is needed for horseback riding. The polo field is not only spacious, but also has various facilities for raising horses, which is very suitable for horse racing and shooting willows. Therefore, the polo field was chosen, and this was the case for all subsequent generations. On the other hand, shooting willows and playing ball games were both sports activities that combined martial arts with entertainment in ancient times. They have the same nature and scale, so they can form this indissoluble bond. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the custom of shooting willows and playing ball games on the Dragon Boat Festival had been established as a national festival sports activity. Song Pang Yuanying's "Miscellaneous Records of Father Chang" states: "The horse riding on the Dragon Boat Festival in the army is called 'jumping willows', also known as 'shooting willows'. Today, military men practice the skill of shooting willows through willows on the Dragon Boat Festival." Another section of "Lichuntang" states: "When the Ruibin Festival came, the emperor ordered all civil and military officials to attend the willow shooting competition in the imperial garden... There were rewards for those who shot the target." Ruibin Festival is the Dragon Boat Festival. In the Ming Dynasty, this custom flourished. In the early Ming Dynasty, Yang Ji wrote "shooting willows" and "hitting balls" in "Ten Poems on the Dragon Boat Festival".

Shooting willows on the Dragon Boat Festival had become a frequent theme for poets at that time, which just shows that this activity was widely carried out. The same was true in the palace. Volume 3 of "Chenyuan Shilue" states: "On the Dragon Boat Festival of May, the eleventh year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor went to the East Garden to watch the ball shooting and willow shooting... He also went there on the Dragon Boat Festival in the fourteenth year." Due to the popularity of shooting willows, the form and content of shooting willows were greatly enriched. The book also talks about "During the Yongle period, the game of shooting willows was to hide pigeons in a gourd or a box, hang it on a willow, shoot it and the box will open, and the pigeon will fly out, and this was fun." Liu Xianting's "Miscellaneous Notes of Guangyang" also said: "Put pigeons in a gourd, hang it on a willow and shoot them, shoot the gourd, and the pigeon will fly away, and the winner is determined by the height of the pigeon flying after the gourd falls to the ground, instead of judging the winner by the quality of shooting skills, which was purely for entertainment. According to "Ming History·Ritual Records", every time shooting willows and hitting balls were played during the Dragon Boat Festival, the court also ordered "civil and military officials, envoys from all over the country and elders in Beijing" to watch. In the Qing Dynasty, shooting willows was also held in the Temple of Heaven after the Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing.

"The Imperial Capital's Annual Records" states: "The Imperial Capital's Midday Festival... still involves shooting willows, and people ride horses and run to compete under the long wall of the Temple of Heaven." Before the middle of the Qing Dynasty, there were still ball-hitting activities in festivals and gatherings in Beijing, so there were also polo matches when shooting willows during the Dragon Boat Festival. "The Beijing Annual Records" states: "On the Dragon Boat Festival, people shoot willows at the Temple of Heaven, which is a legacy of shooting willows from ancient times." Not only during the Dragon Boat Festival, but also during general gatherings. Wu Kuan's "The Collection of Pao Weng's Family Collection" states: "On the day of victory in the capital, it is called Yan Jiu, and young people all go to the west of the city. A large gathering is held in front of the Baiyun Temple, and people and horses are involved in archery and ball-hitting." After the middle of the Qing Dynasty, shooting willows, like some other traditional sports, gradually disappeared in my country.