The Transformation of Archery in the Qin and Han Dynasties (Part 3)

III. Hunting as an Aristocratic Pastime During the Qin and Han Dynasties, hunting was a pastime for the aristocracy, a popular activity among all levels of society, from emperors and officials to soldiers and commoners. It served both as a recreational activity and a means of maintaining military skills. The diverse and widespread nature of this activity is reflected in the 87 out of 158 Han Dynasty stone carvings depicting hunting scenes, and the 19 Han Dynasty poems and essays on the subject. Simply put, hunting involved using archery to hunt animals. This activity combined the enjoyment of archery with the thrill of the hunt, making it the most popular archery pastime among the Han elite. In the Han Dynasty, hunting was also called "military training through hunting" (校猎). The character "校" (xiào) means "comparison" or "competition." Yang Xiong's "Essay on Changyang Palace" mentions "military training and hunting." Jia Kui's commentary on the "Guoyu" states: "校 (xiào) means examination or assessment."  Therefore, "校" implies both competition and evaluation. Strictly speaking, there should be a difference between "hunting" and "military training through hunting."

However, military training through hunting certainly included hunting as an element, so any hunting event organized by the Han imperial court should be considered a form of this activity. Han Dynasty stone carving depicting deer hunting.  Timing of the Hunting Season The Han Dynasty hunting season was not fixed; most hunting took place in winter, but there are also records of hunting in spring. Key historical sources documenting winter hunting include: "Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Cheng": "In winter, the emperor went to Changyang Palace for a large-scale hunting expedition"; "Book of Han, Biography of Yang Xiong": "In the twelfth month, Xiong accompanied the emperor on a hunting expedition"; "Book of Han, Annals of Emperor Ming": "In winter, the emperor and his entourage went hunting in Shanglin Park"; "History of the Later Han Dynasty, Annals of Emperor An": "On the day of Jia-Chen in the twelfth month, the emperor went hunting in Shanglin Park"; "History of the Later Han Dynasty, Annals of Emperor Huan": "On the day of Jia-Chen in the eleventh month, the emperor went hunting in Shanglin Park, then proceeded to Hangu Pass"; and "Essay on Shanglin Park": "Thus, abandoning autumn and entering winter, the emperor went hunting." Thus, it is evident that hunting and archery activities typically took place during winter, likely a customary practice. However, the specific timing within winter varied, as evidenced by expressions like "December," "November," "October," and "during winter." Wang Can's "Rhapsody on Hunting" states, "Utilizing the leisure time after harvest, we engage in hunting and military drills." This suggests that hunting was usually organized during the agricultural off-season, often combined with military training.

This likely reflects two considerations:

First, winter was a period of agricultural inactivity; crops were harvested, fields were relatively empty, and hunting caused minimal damage to crops.

Second, winter was the season when game was most abundant, making it an appropriate time for hunting without violating natural cycles. This also aligned with the pre-Qin dynasty's "winter hunt" tradition, where winter, as the end of the year, was considered the best time for military review and training, making hunting an ideal way to assess military skills and identify talented archers. Historical records also mention hunting outside of winter: Ying Chang's "Rhapsody on Archery" describes friends enjoying archery in the countryside during "spring," while Zhang Heng's "Rhapsody on the Southern Capital" depicts hunting in late spring.  The term "late spring" refers to March, and "the first day of the month with the character 'Yi'" refers to a specific time in early March. These texts illustrate the recreational aspect of hunting in the Han Dynasty. Hunting grounds in the Han Dynasty were typically located in imperial gardens or private estates, such as the Shanglin Garden, the Guangcheng Garden, and Liu Wu's private garden. The Hunting Games in Shanglin Park: Shanglin Park was expanded by Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, in 140 BC (Year 3 of the Jianyuan era) on the site of an existing park from the Qin Dynasty.  It was grand in scale, with numerous palaces and buildings, encompassing various aspects of life. The "Biography of Dongfang Shuo" in the "Book of Han" records the reasons for Emperor Wu's expansion of Shanglin Park. Initially, in the third year of the Jianyuan era, he began his secret tours, traveling north to Pichang, west to Huangshan, south to Changyang for hunting, and east to Yichun. He often drank wine during these tours.

In August and September, he would gather his attendants, palace guards, and capable horsemen from the northwestern regions to the palace gates for hunting.  Hence, the term "Qi Men" (Gathering Gate) originated. He would leave the palace at night, often disguised as the Marquis of Pingyang. In the morning, he would ride into the mountains, hunting deer, boars, foxes, and rabbits, even personally fighting bears and tigers, often in areas with crops and farmland. The local people would shout and complain, gathering together, claiming to be the prefect of Huodu. When the prefect arrived to pay his respects, the guards would threaten him. The prefect, enraged, ordered his men to stop them.  Several of the hunters were detained, but after being shown the emperor's insignia, they were allowed to leave. After these night excursions, he would return in the evening, and later demanded provisions for five days.  The emperor was very pleased with these expeditions. Afterwards, people in the southern mountains learned of his frequent secret tours, but he was still constrained by the Empress Dowager and dared not travel too far. The Prime Minister and the Imperial Inspector, understanding his wishes, ordered the Right Deputy Commander to patrol east of Changyang, and the Right Inner Court Administrator to gather local people to prepare for the emperor's arrival. The emperor then secretly established twelve rest stops south of Xuanqu, where he could change clothes and stay overnight in various palaces; Changyang, Wuzha, Bayang, and Xuanqu were his favorites. The emperor then felt that the long distances were too arduous and caused hardship to the people, so he ordered the Grandee Wuqiu Shouwang and two officials skilled in mathematics to survey the land south of Acheng, east of Zhengwu, and west of Yichun, to determine the area and its value, intending to incorporate it into Shanglin Park. He also ordered the Inner Court Administrators to survey the fields and pastures of the surrounding counties to compensate the people of Huodu. When Wuqiu Shouwang reported on his affairs, the emperor greatly praised and approved of his actions. At that time, Shuo, standing nearby, offered advice, saying: "Your servant has heard that humility and restraint in anger bring blessings from Heaven, while arrogance and extravagance bring misfortune. Now, Your Majesty, you have built many palaces, fearing they might not be grand enough; and for hunting grounds, you fear they might not be extensive enough." In the early Han Dynasty, hunting activities were not necessarily held exclusively in the Shanglin Park. For example, during the reign of Emperor Wen, "He selected capable officials to accompany him on hunting expeditions, going out two or three times a day."

During the reign of Emperor Jing, the King of Liang, due to his close relationship with the Empress Dowager, "would accompany Emperor Jing in his carriage when entering the palace, and ride with him in a hunting carriage when going out to hunt wild animals in Shanglin Park." Even later, Emperor Wu of Han frequently went hunting all over the place, causing some inconvenience and misunderstandings for the people, and the journeys were long and tiring, with little game to be found. Therefore, the original purpose of Emperor Wu's expansion of Shanglin Park should have been to have a relatively fixed location for hunting activities. Shanglin Park mainly consisted of Changyang Palace, Wuzha Palace, and Kunming Lake. The main venue for hunting was Changyang Palace. Changyang Palace had the Shexiong Pavilion and Changyang Terrace. According to the "Sanfu Huangtu," Changyang Palace "was originally a Qin dynasty palace, which the Han dynasty renovated for imperial use.  There were several acres of willow trees in the palace, hence its name. The gate was called Shexiong Guan (Hunting Pavilion), a place for hunting in the Qin and Han dynasties." The Shexiong Pavilion was located within Changyang Palace and was specifically used for hunting. The "Book of Han, Geography" records: "Changyang Palace has the Shexiong Pavilion, built by Qin Zhao Wang." This indicates that Changyang Palace and the Shexiong Pavilion were built during the reign of Qin Zhao Wang, serving as a hunting ground for the Qin emperor.  "The Changyang Terrace is in Changyang Palace; in autumn and winter, hunts were held there, with soldiers hunting animals, and the emperor would watch from the terrace." “(He Qinggu, *Explanatory Notes on the Sanzhou Huangtu*, Vol. 5, Zhonghua Book Company, 2005, p. 311) Changyang Pavilion was also a major venue for hunting and other recreational activities. To ensure a sustainable supply of game, the Shanglin Park had designated areas for raising animals.

“In the Shanglin Park, the emperor would hunt in autumn and winter, capturing countless animals.” “All kinds of animals were raised in the park.” “Bears, porcupines, tigers, leopards, martens, foxes, rabbits, and deer were captured, transported in cages, and brought to the Changyang Hunting Pavilion.” The Shanglin Park also had an official position, the “Shanglin Park Superintendent,” responsible for its management. “One Shanglin Park Superintendent, with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain), was in charge of the animals in the park, and also oversaw the surrounding residential areas.” The salary of 600 shi indicates that the Superintendent was the highest-ranking official in the Shanglin Park.

In addition, the park had specialized personnel for animal husbandry, such as the “Tiger Pen Keeper,” responsible for managing the tiger enclosures.  The Shanglin Park also had a viewing platform for spectators to watch the hunting activities.  For example, in Changyang Pavilion, “during autumn and winter, hunting competitions were held, with warriors engaging in hunting activities, and the emperor would watch from the pavilion.” The *Xidu Fu* (Ode to the Western Capital) also mentions: “The emperor ascended to the Jade Pavilion, overlooking the Changyang Pavilion, surveying the terrain, and observing the spoils of the hunt.” Both the Western and Eastern Han dynasties had a Shanglin Park; the Western Han Park was in Chang'an, while the Eastern Han Park was in Luoyang.  Therefore, the *Biography of Yang Zhen* in the *Book of Later Han* explains: “The previous emperor established a large lake to the west and the Shanglin Park to the east.” The commentary states: “The lake was east of Luoyang, and the Shanglin Park was west.” Furthermore, the *Supplement to the Han History* records: “The *Names of Palaces and Parks in Luoyang* mentions the Pingle Park and the Shanglin Park.” Therefore, historical records of hunting activities in the Eastern Han Dynasty, such as “hunting in the Shanglin Park, pursuing game as far as Hangu Pass,” refer to the Shanglin Park in Luoyang.