THE WISDOM OF ANCIENTS

THE WISDOM OF ANCIENTS

The Qing Horn Bow made by Zhou Xiaochu, and the Qing arrows he collected.周晓初制作的清式角弓和收藏的清箭。

nihao: What is the most charming aspect of traditional bow?

Zhou:Traditional bows have cultural symbols in that they can make you see the ancients when you are holding it. For instance, how did people at that time achieve the archery on horseback? What were the aesthetic orientations of different social hierarchies? Given the example from the Qing Dynasty, emperors' bows were very plain but structured without any decoration. Since Manchu people were quite respectful to their ancestors, they cherished and followed the standards of the bows made by ancestors. On the contrary, the bows owned by the imperial bodyguards were made from valuable materials and full of ornaments, which looked rather extravagant. Besides the horn for the bow, the key of bow making is to conform to seasons. Things are supposed to be done at the right time, and people should not break the rules set by the ancients. Chinese people have been doing archery for thousands of years and accumulated important experience spanning several generations. What you might think of must have been considered by our ancestors first.

nihao: How has archery been in fluenced with the change and introduction of modern bows?

Zhou:The bow of every dynasty changed with the times. In the Qing Dynasty, the main functions of bows were replaced by modern firearms. Thus, the bow started to intensify their lethality, the speed of gripping arrows etc. The body of the bow, including the protector of the bow and arrows were changed for this. The bow of the Qing Dynasty belongs to the group of bows that had a large drawing range, and muscles of archers should be held tight to make sure of their shooting accuracy (which means that every time the string should be drawn to the same standardised position and long-term training would be adopted to form muscle memory). This is different from American hunting bows and mid-Asian short bows that rely on position practices.

nihao: From weapons to sports goods, what different spirits does archery represent?

Zhou:For me, the most charming point of traditional bows in modern times comes from the archery itself. It's too hard to keep the accuracy. No targeting lens, no standards to measure, so it's dif ficult to shoot straight. Compared to shooting and modern archery, it's impossible to reach the limits of traditional archery accuracy. However, things without limits could be more likely to encourage people to keep brushing up and improving. A good archer can form a union with the bow and alter himself according to the change of the bow. For example, thermal expansion may happen when bows are exposed in different temperatures. Thus, in summer, the strength of drawing could be relatively less, while in winter it would be more. This depends totally on the control of the archers, and it's in the core spirit of traditional Chinese sports. How does this experience develop? From long-term practice. It's in the same sense to bow making. Chinese people believe that practice makes perfect, just like hoe I can judge a bow from its raw materials, which is a conditioned re flex formed through long-term habits.

Zhou Xiaochu, the maker of the Qing Horn Bow. His skills were passed on from artisans of the Weaponry Factory in the Qing Dynasty.周晓初，清式角弓制作者，师承手艺传自于清朝兵仗局工匠。

射之器：千古之智

nihao：传统弓有什么特别的魅力？

周：传统弓里有文化符号，拿着它就能怀想到古人。比如他们怎么骑射，不同阶级有什么不同的审美取向等。以我做的清（代）弓为例，清朝前期几位皇上使的弓非常素，几乎没有任何装饰。因为旗人特别尊重祖先，所以皇上的弓要效仿祖先，以示不忘本。反而皇上身边的侍卫们就不用了，使的都是贵材料，装饰也多，看上去“高级”多了。另外，以角弓为例，用的都是生物性材料，所以，必须要顺应时节选料、制作。什么时候该干什么事，就干什么事，不要打破祖先的经验。中国人已经玩弓几千年了，是多少代人经验智慧的结晶。你能想到的，古人一定想到了。

nihao：弓的变化对射箭技术的变化有什么影响？

周：每个朝代的弓都跟随时代发生着改变。比如清代，火器代替了弓箭远距离打击的主要功能，于是弓开始加强杀伤力、上箭速度等功能。因此，射箭方法、弓体连同弓套、箭套也发生改变。清弓属于大拉距弓，使用肌肉锁死的方式保证准确性(就是每次拉弓都拉到同一标准位置，长期练习形成一种肌肉和骨骼的记忆)。这与美国猎弓、中西亚短弓依赖靠位的练习系统是不同的。

nihao:从战争武器到竞技用具，传统弓的精神内涵有什么变化？

周：传统弓最有乐趣的地方在于对射击本身带来的挑战。因为它要打准太难了。没有瞄准镜，没有任何标尺。但就因为不容易打准，所以人们喜欢玩，喜欢拿它做一种修行的方式。而且，相比射击、现代射箭，传统射箭的极限很难达到。越是这样没有止境的东西，越能挑起人们不断去精进。好的射手能做到人弓合一，根据弓的变化做出变化，例如不同温度下弓会发生热胀冷缩，所以夏天使劲相对小，冬天相对大。这完全靠人来掌控，也是中国传统体育锻炼的精髓。这些经验怎么来的？还是靠长期的练习。做弓的道理也一样。中国人讲熟能生巧，比如我现在对原材料能够看一眼就作出制作上的判断，这是长期的习惯形成的条件反射。