Traditional Chinese archery: bow makers on target to resurrect lost martial art
Two decades ago, Chinese archery appeared extinct, but renewed interest in the practice – the third of the six noble competencies – and demand for artisanal weapons has brought it back from the brink
In the 1950s and 60s, when the artisans of Beijing’s last seven bow-making workshops were reassigned to state collectives, a craft that had been practised for more than 3,000 years came to a sudden halt. By the mid-90s, all remaining bowyers had passed away, with the exception of Yang Wentong. Come his death, it was believed, all knowledge of traditional Han Chinese ox-horn bow making would be lost forever.
“My father was the youngest in that generation. None of their children had made the effort to learn the work because they couldn’t see any future in it,” explains Yang’s son, Yang Fuxi. “The country was poor, incomes were low, and there was no call for our profession. By 1998, it was almost beyond retrieving.”
But in that year, Yang Wentong and his son restarted their family’s bow-making business, Ju Yuan Hao, which was originally established in 1721. Thanks to their efforts, and with the support of Hong Kong civil servant Stephen Selby, the craft has not only been brought back from the brink, but made a remarkable recovery.
The place to find Yang Fuxi on weekends is at his shop in Beijing’s Panjiayuan market. On Saturdays or Sundays, the capital’s biggest antique bazaar is a hive of bustle and colour, with Mao-morabilia from the 50s vying for attention with elegant porcelain vases, ancient lacquerware and modern acrylic paintings at thousands of stalls.
Yang’s appearance – full grey whiskers, top knot and black, Tang-style tunic suit – gives the 60-year-old the air of a sagacious time traveller. A photograph of his similarly attired grandfather, captured outside the old Ju Yuan Hao workshop in 1957, hangs next to a rack of bows in one corner of the shop. Above the picture is Yang’s most prized heirloom; a 200-year-old bow made to commemorate the centenary of Ju Yuan Hao, in 1821. Over green tea, Yang reminds customers of his craft’s long and distinguished pedigree.
By looking at the way a man handles a bow and arrow, you can judge his character and integrity: whether he is of high calibre or of lesser consequence
In ancient China, archery ranked third among the six arts that formed the basis of a nobleman’s education (the others, in order of importance, were rites, music, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics). Evincing the ethos of the time is a four-character calligraphy scroll on Yang’s wall. It’s an old proverb that can be translated as, “Archery is the measure of man.”
