China Archery

The legend of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun (Hou Yi She Ri):

In many ancient Chinese myths, as well as the myths of other cultures, the gods help the people. The Hou Yi, however, is one of the few mortals who helps the gods, thanks to his great skill with the bow and arrow. Like many of Chinese myths, this story may have been based on an actual person, in this case a skilled bowman who lived sometime between 2436-2255 B.C.

Plants and herbs often appear in the background of Chinese stories. The mythical Fusang tree is reputed to be over ten thousand feet tall and spreads its leaves out over two thousand feet. Because the tree appears in many ancient tombs, paintings, and sculptures, it once must have been a very important symbol.

Although some versions of the story depict the Fusang as a hibiscus, the mulberry tree is probably its basis. One variety of the mulberry, Morus alba, is native to China. Growing more than fifty feet tall, its leaves are used to feed silkworms. Strands from the silkworms’ cocoons are woven together to create silk, the strongest of all natural fibers. The cloth is lightweight and cool to the touch, but retains warmth and is highly flame-resistant. Its beauty and ability to absorb bright dyes made it a highly prized trade item in ancient Egypt, Rome, and Persia.

The water spinach, ung choy, has thick hollow stems and long slender leaves. It will sprout leaves and regenerate with very little water, and it will grow as much as four inches per day. This hardy plant saved people from starvation during China’s many wars and is also a valuable source of iron for the people of India, Vietnam, Brazil, Central America, and Africa.

China was once thought to be surrounded by four seas. To the east was a vast ocean. Beyond the ocean, magnificent plants bloomed on an island paradise. The most glorious specimen of all the plant life was the Fusang tree, whose wondrous branches stretched up toward the heavens and out across the island for hundreds of miles. Scattered among its masses of dark green foliage, fragrant hibiscus flowers burst into flaming shades of magenta, crimson, and violet.

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Once upon a time, Huangdi went out hunting armed with a stone knife. Suddenly, a tiger sprang out of the undergrowth. Huangdi shinned up a mulberry tree to escape. Being a patient creature, the tiger sat down at the bottom of the tree to see what would happen next.

Huangdi saw that the mulberry wood was supple, so he cut off a branch with his stone knife to make a bow. Then he saw a vine growing on the tree, and he cut a length from it to make a string. Next he saw some bamboo nearby that was straight, so he cut a piece to
make an arrow.

With his bow and arrow, he shot the tiger in the eye. The tiger ran off and Huangdi made his escape.

Source: atarn.org

The 4th Stage of the Archery World Cup in Shanghai
(4th-9th of August, 2009 Shanghai)

Presider of FITA’s welcome words:

World Archery welcomes all archers, officials and spectators to the 4th Stage of the Archery World Cup in Shanghai.

We are very pleased that the Chinese Archery Association and the City of Shanghai have taken up the challenge of organizing this important competition which will conclude the stages of the Archery World Cup this year in the lead up to the final in Copenhagen.

The competition for the places in the final are still wide open and we are convinced that there will be exiting matches. Also it is the last major event before the World Championships so many teams will be making their decisions on who will go to Korea based on the outcome of this World Cup.

I thank the FITA Sponsors KIA Motors, Sportoto, Vakifbank, Turkish Airlines, Longines, Milli Piyango, Tfors, DHL, Easton & Hoyt as well as all the local sponsors for their contribution, without whom we would not be able to organize this event

The venues for the qualification and finals are exciting and we hope that this will lead to great results. The finals close to the river will give fantastic TV images.

The Local Organising Committee has done an excellent job in prepraring the event.

We thank all the volunteers, the judges and the FITA Event team without whom this event would not be possible.

I wish the athletes good luck and good shooting and we are convinced that all athletes will go back home with wonderful memories and great results.

Congratulatory Note from Zhao Wen

(Vice Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government)

As the 2009 FITA World Cup Stage 4 in Shanghai draws near, on behalf of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, I wish to extend my warm congratulations! I also wish to sincerely welcome athletes, coaches and guests from all over the world and give thanks to FITA and the Shooting and Archery Center of the General Administration of Sport of China for bringing exciting games to citizens, tourists and archery fans in Shanghai.

Archery boasts a long history in China with many beautiful legends about it. There are also many proverbs about the amazing accuracy and speed of archery, such as “Shoot a leaf from a hundred steps away with an arrow”, “like an arrow that has left the bow” and “shoot down nine out of the ten suns with arrows to protect crops”. Modern archery, a very popular game worldwide, perfectly combines ancient tradition and modern technology, presenting the beauty of power, balance, coordination and skill.

The World Cup Stage 4 will be held in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China and the finals will be staged on the Riverside Avenue. It will be very exhilarating to watch archery, an ancient sport by the Huangpu River of a beautiful and prosperous city in splendid summer sunshine. The World Cup will definitely bring excitement to archery fans, play a big role in popularizing and developing the sport and make Shanghai, a fast-growing international metropolis even more vibrant. I believe the top archers will show great performance and build stronger friendship with each other during the game.

I sincerely wish the 2009 FITA World Cup in Shanghai a complete success!

I wish everyone a pleasant stay in Shanghai!
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