This book, the first research publication on China’s archery culture to appear in the English language, introduces the historic development, key concepts, and research methodologies for archery studies. Archery was the most important weapon of war in pre-modern China; at the same time, archery practice was intimately tied to Confucius’ cultural and pedagogic ideals. Chinese archery was divided into the domains of military archery (wushe) and ritual archery (lishe), and may be further distinguished into han (Chinese) and hu (barbarian) archery traditions. Bringing together the leading scholars in this field, including Ma Mingda, Stephen Selby, Ma Lianzhen, Peter Dekker, and others, this book presents the most comprehensive statement on archery studies to date. In particular, it provides an in-depth survey of archery development during the Qing period and offers a unique cultural perspective to understanding China’s last imperial dynasty―through the lens of Manchu archery.
Hing Chao is the founder and Executive Director of Institute of Martial Studies, Executive Director of International Guoshu Association, and Trustee of Hong Kong Maritime Museum. He is also the founder of Hong Kong Martial Arts Living Archive, the largest 3D martial arts archive in the world, and has curated and produced several pioneering exhibitions including “300 Years of Hakka Kung Fu: Digital Vision of Its Legacy and Future” (Hong Kong: 2016, Melbourne: 2017), and “Kung Fu Motion” (Lausanne: 2018).
Lianzhen Ma is a professor at the Sports Science School of South China Normal University, and is the deputy director for Postgraduate Education in Traditional Physical Activities and Culture Major, and for the Exercise & Training Department. He is a well-known martial artist and the 3rd generation inheritor of Ma’s Tongbei Martial Studies. At the same time, he is the deputy director of Shaolin Changong Committee of Mt. Song Shaolin Temple, president ofInternational Guoshu Association, president of Gansu Province Ma’s Tongbei Wuxue Association, chief editor of Wuxue, and the headmaster of Jiangong Academy.
Loretta Kim is assistant professor and director of the China Studies programme at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Hong Kong. She is a historian of late imperial and modern China. Her primary research areas include the comparative history of borderlands and frontiers, Sino-Russian cultural relations, and Chinese ethnic minority languages and literatures. She is the author of Ethnic Chrysalis: China’s Orochen People and the Legacy of Qing Borderland Administration (Harvard Asia Center, 2019).
