What is the bow used in ancient China

,The standard bow of ancient China should belong to the compound bow.

But this compound bow is a compound bow in the ancient sense. Not the modern term pulley compound bow.

Also, in terms of craftsmanship, the straight draw bow is a bit simpler than the recurve bow, which makes it easier to mass-produce, and I believe that the standard weapon of ancient China should be the straight draw compound bow.

The following is some information

Ancient China not only made the bow in the talent material requirements are very strict requirements, the specific process steps also have detailed provisions. "Taking six materials must be in its time, six materials are gathered, the skillful and the." Analysis of the bow stem in winter, spring treatment angle, summer treatment tendons, fall together all the materials, the winter put the bow arm with the bow box within the stereotypes, the winter cold repair and treatment of the exterior. In winter, analyze the dry wood of the bow, naturally smooth and fine; in spring, treat the angle, naturally moist and soft; in summer, treat the tendons, naturally not tangled; in fall, close all the materials, white and tight; in winter, set the bow body, the bow will not be deformed; in winter, when it is very cold, the glue and lacquer are completely dry and solid, so it can be repaired and treated on the outside. In the spring, the bowstring is put on, and then hidden for one year before use. The above complicated process takes two to three years. In the bow-making workshop, since all the work could be staggered and run in a stream, there would be batches of finished products every year, but for one bow, the working hours could not be shortened. The manufacture of composite bows represents the peak of ancient bow-making art, and the first detailed record of composite bow manufacture in the world is found in the Kaogongji (Records of Work and Study). In the following two thousand years, the technology of compound bow making in China, or in Asia, has not changed substantially from that of the Kaogongji. Due to the difference in the material of the bows used around the world during this period, there was a great difference in the way of drawing the bow between the regions that mainly used the monobloc bow and the regions that had already widely used the composite bow. The Mediterranean style of shooting, and the Mongolian (Chinese) style of shooting. Due to the poor elasticity of the European monobloc bow, the ratio of the draw length to the length of the bow body is low, so the bow length is longer, while the Chinese compound bow is exactly the opposite, the ratio of the draw length to the length of the bow body is very high, and when the bow is drawn full, the finger draw and the bowstring form an acute angle, so the Mediterranean style of drawing will be pressed against the finger. Therefore, the Chinese method uses one thumb (protected by a finger ring) to draw the string, with the index and middle fingers holding down the thumb, whereas the European monobloc bows can be drawn with more than one finger due to the larger angle. And the use of finger rings as protection is one of the hallmarks of the use of compound bows, the earliest finger rings in China and in the world were unearthed from the remains of the tomb of Wu Hao during the Shang Dynasty, and are well documented in the Book of Songs.

But recurve bows were also used in ancient Chinese craftsmanship.

The "Juyuan" bow and arrow store was one of the 17 bow and arrow stores in the "Bow and Arrow Compound" on Dongsi Street in Beijing in the late Qing Dynasty, and it is the only bow and arrow store in Beijing that is known to have preserved the traditional craftsmanship in its entirety. The bow of "Juyuan" is a traditional recurve bow made of buffalo horn, bamboo, ox tendon and other materials glued together with the glue made from pig skin, and its shape belongs to the Manchu bow of the Qing Dynasty, which is characterized by a slightly larger bow.