The Transformation of Archery in the Qin and Han Dynasties (Part 2)

2. The Role and Influence of the Autumn Shooting System: As archery became increasingly popular in the Han Dynasty military, its recreational value gradually emerged. The most iconic example was the "Autumn Shooting" practice, prevalent in the northwestern border counties at the time. It was likely a competitive archery event. Archaeologists have discovered numerous Han Dynasty bamboo slips documenting the "Autumn Shooting" activities at the ruins of the Juyan City Beacon Fortress in the Ejina River Basin of northern Gansu. The "Autumn Shooting" system, named for the archery competitions held annually in autumn, was a traditional Han Dynasty system focused on testing archery skills, hence the term "Dushi" or "Qukeng" in some historical records. However, the Dushi, Qukeng, and Autumn Shooting are distinct concepts. The Dushi, also known as the Grand Test, was an annual military exercise mandated by the Han Dynasty for each county.

As the "Han Guan Yi" records, "At the age of 23, civilians are officially recognized. For one year, they serve as guards and one year as military officers and cavalrymen, training in archery, charioteering, riding, and battle formations. In August, prefects, lieutenants, magistrates, chiefs, chancellors, chancellors, and lieutenants meet for a capital examination, where they undergo a palace examination. Water families who build warships also practice archery and sailing." This means that during the Han Dynasty, civilian men aged 23 or older were required to serve in the prefecture for a year as military officers and cavalrymen, receiving training in archery, charioteering, riding, and battle formations. The capital examination served as a test of their combat capabilities. Especially during the Western Han Dynasty, it was emphasized that "only those with training were allowed to go to war." Not only did they emphasize peacetime training tailored to local conditions and specific military branches, but they also insisted on regular reviews and assessments, implementing the system of capital examinations (grand inspections). Every autumn, a grand sacrificial ceremony was held in the capital, where military officers and soldiers practiced battle formations together. In the prefectures and states, prefects, lieutenants, and county magistrates and lieutenants organized military officers, knights, and warships to compete and assess their skills in archery, horseback riding, and sailing. During the imperial examinations, axes, halberds, flags, and drums were displayed, and the ceremony was grand.

The Guanglu Qie Ling stipulated that anyone who failed to show up for the examination would be expelled. The imperial examinations during the Han Dynasty were not limited to the prefectures. For example, during the reign of Emperor Zhao, General Huo Guang conducted an inspection of the Yulin Army in the capital, which was also known as the "imperial examination." Thus, the imperial examinations can be understood as annual military exercises held by the central and local governments, with archery being a major part of the competition. What is "Hukeng"? It was a large-scale sacrificial ceremony held in the autumn of the Han Dynasty, primarily focused on hunting. The "Book of Han: Chronicle of Emperor Wu" states: "The emperor ordered the whole country to celebrate for five days and Teng for five days. Sacrifices were offered to the gates, similar to the winter solstice." Ru Chun said: "The pronunciation of gen is lou. 'Han Yi Zhu' states that the beginning of autumn is kuyao." The "Book of the Later Han: Rites" also states: "On the day of the beginning of autumn, after the white suburban ceremonies, the emperor began to display his military might and slaughtered animals at the east gate of the suburban area to offer to the mausoleum and temple. The ritual involved riding in a chariot and riding a white horse with a red mane, and personally shooting the animals with crossbows... Military officers trained in the ceremonies of battle and formations, and the ritual of slaughtering animals, which was called kuliu... The ritual of chuliu: offering sacrifices to the ancestors, the steward announced the arrival of the ancestors, and when the fresh food was cooked, the officials announced the arrival of the animals, and then they would go around and shoot the animals. After the chariot was captured, the officials announced the end of the ceremony." From the literature, we know that "ku" was a large wild beast similar to a raccoon, and it was a ritual to worship ancestors at a certain time."

It was a ritual to hunt wild animals such as gen to worship ancestors. Finally, "military officers trained in the ceremonies of battle and formations," and rewards and punishments were given based on performance. So, what was "autumn shooting"? Ancient texts lack explicit records of the Autumn Shooting Festival, often conflating it with the Capital Examination. In reality, the Autumn Shooting Festival should be understood as a specialized manifestation of the Capital Examination system in the northwestern border counties, a specialized archery competition held there. In these border counties, prefects typically led 10,000 cavalry on patrol to inspect defenses and practice the Autumn Shooting Festival. Marquises and officials were tested on archery, with rewards awarded and penalties imposed for those who failed. Training primarily focused on shooting crossbows, but also incorporated other martial arts such as wrestling, hand-to-hand combat, and Cuju (ancient football). Therefore, the Autumn Shooting Festival could have served the same purpose as the annual Capital Examination mandated by the state.

1. Time and Place of Autumn Shooting Festival

Regarding the timing of the Autumn Shooting Festival, Han bamboo slips generally record it as taking place in autumn, as "Autumn Order Shooting." However, a Han bamboo slip specifically records the Autumn Shooting Festival taking place in August. For example, "In the fourth volume, in the eighth month of the third year of Ganlu, officials were injured in archery with crossbows. (Xie Guihua et al., Juyan Han Bamboo Slips, Zhonghua Book Company, 1987)" Of course, there are also references to July, such as "Yesterday, Marquis Tunyuan Changfang went to the official to report his merits without any equipment. On the 28th of the month, the officials were not able to arrive, but they went to the official with crossbows to shoot. They had food early in the morning on the dinghai day of the seventh month." From this, we can infer that the autumn archery competition was generally held in autumn, but local officials were allowed to decide based on their specific circumstances.

2. Autumn Archery Organization and Participants

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the salary level of officials was primarily expressed in "shi," with a rank of twenty grades, ranging from doushi to 10,000 shi. The rank of prefect was "2,000 shi"; the magistrate was "1,000 shi or 600 shi"; and the chief was "500 to 300 shi." In the Juyan region, the prefect of Zhangye Commandery was the overall headquarter for the autumn archery competition. The prefectural commander, under the prefect's orders, dispatched the specific details of the competition to the various marquisates, overseeing and enforcing the competition.

3. Rules of the Autumn Archery Competition: The Han Dynasty's "Autumn Archery" had a relatively complete set of competition rules.

For example, the competition used arrows used in "crossbows," which came in two types: short and long, and scores were recorded separately. Each contestant shot 12 arrows, with six hits considered a pass. Those who hit more than six arrows were rewarded. However, only the winners were recognized for their "merit" or "granted merit." In addition to receiving material rewards such as money and silk, this also served as an important basis for promotion. "Han Shu: Biography of Wu Wuzi" states in Shi Gu's "Book of Han: Biography of Wu Wuzi": "The Han Guanglu Zhi ordered: All those who are scheduled to take the exam but do not attend the capital will be exempted." This demonstrates the importance and strict requirements of the Han Dynasty government for the capital examination. The grand Autumn Archery ceremony also had strict rules and regulations to ensure fairness and impartiality throughout the competition.

3.4 Autumn Archery Rewards

In addition to recommendation, appointment, appointment of sons, imperial conscription, personal recommendation, and special official positions, the accumulation of merit was also a key method for official promotion in the Han Dynasty. Officials earned merit through daily work or assessments, accumulating a certain amount before promotion. Of course, if performance was subpar or failed to meet standards, they would also face corresponding penalties. Therefore, Emperor Xuan of Han said, "I have heard that if meritorious service was not rewarded and guilt was not punished, even the Tang and Yu dynasties could not bring order to the world." The strict reward and punishment policy advocated by the rulers undoubtedly played a positive role in the selection of talent and the promotion of officials. For example, a Han bamboo slip records: "If six arrows hit the target, it is considered a step over six. If six arrows are missed, the reward is deprived of 15 days' labor." This means that those who met the standards were rewarded with "labor," while those who did not were punished with "labor" deprivation.