# Communities > Antique Arms & Armour Community > Chinese, South-East Asia (CSEA) >  Damned Shame - Last Traditional Chinese Bowyer

## Todd Ellner

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070202...e_070202035527




> BEIJING (AFP) - Yang Fuxi, China's last known traditional bow and arrow maker, is plying a dying craft and has made it his mission to keep it alive.
> 
> One man against the crushing forces of modernity, the 48-year-old Beijing resident says he owes it to his ancestors and to the Chinese nation as a whole.
> 
> "I feel a responsibility towards history. A huge responsibility," he said as he sat on a stool in his small cramped workshop in a corner of a residential compound. "I know I have to do it as well as I can."

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## A. Ko

This is a very heartwarming article.  He not only embodies the values of historical preservation but of moral character essential to the transmission of generations-worth of skills you'd typically see with martial arts.

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## Todd Ellner

I just meant it's a shame he's the last one.

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## Chris Thomas

I hope he is able to find some suitable students.

It would be a shame for those skills to just vanish.

Maybe the article will get more archers to order from him----make it more likely that his art is passed down.

I hope.

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## Manouchehr M.

That is really a nice article.  Thanks Todd for sharing.  Does this gentleman have a websidet?  Is it possible to buy his bows?

Kind regards

Manouchehr

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## KevinT

I believe the TV program mentioned is Discovery Channel International's "Atlas" series iirc

He went into more detail about the dangers his father faced.

It's worth watching.

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## Kenneth, H.

Hello.

I read this article on China Daily yesterday.

Here's the link Bow maker struggles to keep craft alive.

Best regards, Kenneth A.H.

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## Todd Ellner

I wish I knew how to order from him. A craft like that deserves our support.

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## Peter Dekker

I have been at his workshop. Unfortunately, his reputation surpasses his skill as a bowyer. There aren't too many archers around to shoot his bows, resulting in entirely traditionally made bows that do not have the power or durability of the old ones. Most of his bows end up as wallhangers so poor Yang misses the archer feedback a good bowyer needs to improve his bow making.

Luckily, others abroad like Jaap Koppedreyer have picked it up and are continuing with much more research to back up their skills. Unfortunately, Yang was only taught bow making at a late age and not everything had been properly passed down on him.

I will be in Beijing from March-August and and thinking about selling some of his bows for him to actual archers so he can adjust to that market again. I also shoot one myself, but it's not as balanced as the real thing and has much more hand shock than a composite recurve bow should have. These are things that can still be improved, though.

-Peter

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## Andrew Koo

Hi, were traditional Manchu bows made from bamboo? I thought coming from the steppe their materials used should be more in line what they have up there?

Unless of course bamboos grows up there?

cheers

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## Peter Dekker

Although wood is used in making traditional Manchu bows, it's not the most important part of the bow. Traditionally, Manchu's used several kinds of wood or bamboo for the core, it really depended what was at hand at their present location. The rigid ears of the bow were often made of birch or elm wood, as was part of the grip.

The side of the working limbs facing the archer was covered in horn, usually from the Asian water buffalo. The other side was covered in sinew from the back of a working ox. The wooden or bamboo core was actually nothing more than a framework to glue these materials on. The power of these bows came from the fact that both materials were forced to do what they most resisted: the horn was compressed and the sinew stretched when drawing the bow.

The glue was made from hide, bones or fish bladders. Fish bladder glue was best, this is the same stuff that still holds 17th century Stradivarius violins together well enough for them to still be played.

-Peter

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## Doug Mullane

Peter,

Could you name the source or sources that you are using to support your response?

Sincerely,

Doug Mullane

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## Peter Dekker

My sources on Chinese bow making:

_Personal communication_
Jaap Koppedreyer
Stephen Selby
Yang Fuxi (last traditional Chinese bow maker)
Yiming (Chinese archer and fletcher)
Grozer Csaba

_Literature_
Archery traditions of Asia - Stephen Selby
Chinese archery - Stephen Selby
1759 Huangchao Liqi Tushi - Reprint
And a host of other books that do mention archery but are not specifically about it.

_Other_
Society of Archery Antiquaries (member)
www.atarn.org
Studying, owning, and shooting Chinese bows.

-Peter

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## Doug Mullane

Thank you, Peter.

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## Liang Jieming

2005/2006 Hongkong Museum of Coastal Defence had an exhibition on Asian Archery Traditions supported mainly by Stephen Selby and Mr. Yang was featured prominently in the exhibit along with photographs of his craft.  A real pity if what you say is true and that his bows are no longer up to standard.  I was thinking of bringing one back to shoot with but hesitated mainly because the humidity of Singapore weather would unglue the glue of the bow unless I keep it in a dehumidifier.

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## Peter Dekker

Well his bows do shoot, I managed to become third at an Amsterdam tournament with one. For accuracy, the arrows are most important and I made those myself. But it's harder to be consistent when dealing with a lot of hand shock. Apart from that, his bows don't seem to last as long as the ones by, for example, Koppedreyer or Csaba. But these guys bows are also a lot more expensive.

Comparing them with antique bows, the difference is very obvious.

On humidity, the Chengdu bowyers treated their bows with tung oil (tongyou). Those in dryer regions did not do this. In Chengdu, humidity can be some 80% in summer there and it can become pretty hot. I think if the bows worked well there, which they did, you must be able to take one to Singapore as well provided you give it the same treatment.

-Peter

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## Liang Jieming

> On humidity, the Chengdu bowyers treated their bows with tung oil (tongyou). Those in dryer regions did not do this. In Chengdu, humidity can be some 80% in summer there and it can become pretty hot. I think if the bows worked well there, which they did, you must be able to take one to Singapore as well provided you give it the same treatment.
> 
> -Peter


Oh good!  I wasn't sure if tongyou would help, and since beijing isn't exactly next door as well as the need for import permits and police approval, I didn't want to go through all the trouble only to have it fall apart after the first couple of shoots.

Thanks for the feedback Peter.

Jieming

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## Peter Dekker

You're welcome... I hope it helps for you. I'll be in Beijing for some 6 months from the 24th of this month, so if you need any help dealing with Ju Yuan Hao, let me know because I'll be living pretty near his workshop (also in Chaoyang) and be a fairly regular visitor.

My compliments on your work on Chinese Siege warfare! I enjoyed it a lot... 

-Peter

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## Liang Jieming

Har.... I wish I was going to beijing soon but no such luck.  Will definitely make a trip but not so soon I'm afraid.  Thanks for the offer Peter.  Your feedback to Mr. Yang hopefully will help him improve his bowyer skills.

Jieming

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