The disappearance of the ancient art was brought strongly to popular attention in Taiwan when archery became an Olympic event in 1972; as a result, the sport began to attract local hobbyists.
Cheng Sheng-chi, chief executive of the Taipei Archery Association, discussed the sudden shift. "When the sport of archery burgeoned in Taiwan, most of its first enthusiasts were medical practitioners. And most of the new members of the Association were initiated into the sport by the older members." Archery really opened to others, he said, only after the Association placed an advertisement to recruit an audience for a seminar on the sport. As archery became more and more popular, the nationally organized Republic of China Amateur Archery Association came into being. And today, local archery associations are blooming in nine cities and townships.
Cheng Sheng-chi, with more than ten years of experience, is recognized as a pioneer archer who has devoted not only his time, but also his wealth to the popularization of the sport. He often says, "If I had saved the money instead, I would now own several office buildings."
All of the archery associations have their budgetary and personnel problems, and Cheng hopes that the government will help out in order to provide the environment for systematic cultivation of top-night competitive archers. Though the Republic of China joined the International Amateur Archery Federation back in 1969, its champions have never bagged a medal, although many of them have demonstrated great potential.
The most pressing problem is a dearth of qualified practice ranges. Only one of the island's ranges, in a Tainan park, is considered to be up to international standards. In Taipei, Taiwan's largest city, there is only one outdoor range; it is owned by the Republic of China Amateur Sports Association, which leases it to the Taipei Archery Association. It is not an ideal range simply because it is too short. There are two indoor ranges in Taipei. But there is not a single range, indoor or outdoor, in other cities and townships, although some do maintain archery associations.
"Our champions showed up well in short-range competitions, but their scores over the longer distances—70 and 90 meters-are still far from satisfactory, because we do not have the practice facilities," Cheng Sheng-hsiung laments.
Another problem hampering the development of the sport is the high prices or bows and arrows. All of them, and the accessories, are imported and subject to a 50 percent import tax. Domestic industry has not solved quality problems in production of top-standard archery equipment. A bow and arrow set, including accessories, is priced at NT$20,000-30,000 (US$500-750), depending on its quality. This is not affordable by everyone, particularly college students, however interested they may be in the sport.
Cheng is campaigning for the government to reduce import duties. "If we can exempt bows and arrows from the import tax, as Korea has done, I am sure we can shoot the way open to popularization of our archery sport."
In addition to ranges and equipment, competent coaches are also very important. More often than not, novice archers have to rumble for their skills. Without the guidance of a good coach, a novice may spend much money and time with minor results.
Taipei's first indoor archery club is located in the basement of a business district high-rise—the Sherwood Archery Association. Organized by several veteran archers, it offers a range area of 400 ping (1,220 square meters) and more than 30 targets, and provides bows and arrows for practice use. Every month it sponsors a training seminar, charging NT$2,000 (US$50). It is now the cradle of the Republic of China's young archers.
Another indoor range was established just last year, also in a downtown basement, called God's Archery Club. It has an area of only 100 ping (330 square meters) and offers 20 targets with ranges of just 10, 15, and 20 meters. It is man aged by four enthusiasts, all still in their twenties.
Both clubs are membership operations; each member pays an annual fee of NT$1,000 (US$25). The clubs charge NT$100 for the first hour of practice, but double that for a guest-outsider. Another NT$50 is charged for each additional hour. Since few archers can still pull their bows after six hours straight, the club confidently put a ceiling on the charges of NT$350.
Are the charges reasonable?
"I think they are very reasonable," says a woman official of Sherwood. "We have a monthly outlay of more than NT$200,000 on the average, so it is a very fair fee, for a man to pay NT$100 an hour, using our bows and arrows."
The manager of God's Archery Club, Chen Chen-yu, stresses that his club is a non-profit organization. "When several friends and I decided to establish this club, many people were surprised by our boldness in taking the risk," he asserted. He raised one of his hands and counted with his fingers, "Rent, water and power bills, personnel expenses ... they amount to more than NT$100,000 a month. The target sheets are NT$14 for a big one, and NT$8 for a small one, and they're changed twice a day. Oh, my figure doesn't include depreciation on our bows and arrows. Some customers don't know how to pull the bow and properly release an arrow. A crooked arrow must be replaced; a new one costs us NT$200. Our club stays open 12 hours a day, but how can we make money if we don't assure that every range is occupied? There are only a few archers here today. We will be happy if we can make both ends meet. Our main interest is not profit, but providing a place for our friends to practice archery.
"Do you really think NT$100 an hour is too much? Just think. When you go to the movies with a few friends and then dine at a small restaurant, how much will you pay? At least NT$500. But how much lasting satisfaction can a movie really give you? Newcomers to the sport do not need to buy the gear. We provide the location, all the facilities, and even more important, national-class coaches," he added.
Commenting on his expectations for archery in Taiwan, Chen Chen-yu viewed his own operation, "Our strength is tenuous, so we cannot contribute much. The sport really needs the support of wealthy people. To popularize archery, all we can do is to provide the facilities so young people can practice."
Since so few people engage in archery, and fewer understand the sport, the four young men were indeed bold when they sank their limited funds in the risky business.
God's Archery Club's coach, Hsi Hui-ching, 27, is a veteran of national archery competitions. He told of his own emergence as a national-level archer:
"One and half a years ago, I first came in contact with a bow. At that time, I began shooting at least 600 arrows a day. After practicing for half a year, I participated in several national competitions with the encouragement of my coach, Cheng Sheng-chi. Each additional arrow I shot made me more infatuated with the sport. Now I still shoot at least 300 arrows a day."
Why does archery so infatuate a man?
"Oh," the young coach replied after a moment of silence, "I think it is because the archer draws such great satisfaction from the speed of his arrow and from its moment of impact, especially when the arrow hits the bull's eye. Besides, outdoor archery creates a feeling of challenge.
"Sure, and there are direct benefits from archery. When an archer wants to hit the bull's eye, he must hold his breath, concentrate his spirit, cast away all irrelevant thoughts, and balance himself... all that before he lets the arrow go. So it's a top processes for self-improvement. We often say, 'When a man's heart is set right, the arrow is set right too.'
"Archery is a particularly good exercise for women and for people with heart conditions, because it is an effective but not a drastic exercise, and can be performed in any weather."
He explained archery's physical effects: Standing firmly, with the two legs separated naturally, is a leg exercise. Widely stretching the two arms, with the left hand holding the bow and the right hand vigorously pulling the string, is an exercise for the arms. Pulling the bow fully, with the help of the back muscles, contracts the belly, and adjusting the breath at the same time, also exercises the belly muscles. Taking aim before releasing the arrow is training for the eyes. His explanation was evidently valid—at least, none of the archers on the range demonstrated midriff bulge.
One of the practicing archers, a Mr. Liu, recounted his archery experience: "I have practiced archery for half a year. It is indeed addicting. Now I can't omit practice, even for a day."
Liu, who is a professional interior decorator, when asked about the benefits of archery, declared: "Its greatest impact is to eliminate a restless feeling from my heart. Before, I was an ill-tempered man I have since improved my temperament very much. It is a very good exercise for the temper," he smiled.
Both of the slim female instructors at God's Archery Club had previously worked as accountants. They took on their new jobs after three months' intensive training.
Do they have any problems? Don't male trainees feel that women instructors lack authority?
"No. Most of the men here are well-bred, so they never cause such trouble," they replied in unison.
One of the instructors, a Miss Kung, added, "For every six arrows I shoot, I have an average score of 53 to 56, out of a total of 60. This is impressive enough in the eyes of trainees. I won my authority with my skill."
However, there are very few female archers in the Republic of China. Would female archers participate in formal competitions? The other instructor, Miss Yu, answered: "Archery is a good exercise for women. But, unlike ordinary archery, competition archery demands both physical power and endurance. I think I am qualified both ways. If the opportunity arises, I will have a try."
Chou Shih-ying, 65, has participated in every local competition in several dozens of years, and has been an exam pie for young archers. He was once a victim of hypertension and diabetes, but as a result of his archery practice, he believes, both troubles have disappeared.
The Taipei Archery Association is planning to establish a standard outdoor range to meet the requirements of an increasing number of serious archers. After it is available, the outstanding short-range archers of today will have the opportunity to become long-range competition-rank sharpshooters.