Linzhi, Tibet: 297 archers from three provinces compete for the Millennium Ringing Arrow

China News Service, Lhasa, November 14 (Reporter Gongsang Lhamo) The 2026 "Arrow Dance in China" national fitness theme event and the 11th Linzhi Ringing Arrow Invitational Tournament of the Tibet Autonomous Region opened on the 13th in Maiba Village, Bujiu Township, Bayi District, Linzhi City, Tibet. 23 teams with 297 people from Qinghai, Sichuan and Tibet participated, and another 9 teams with more than 70 people participated in the arrow song performance event.

November 10th is the first day of October in the Tibetan calendar. Nyingchi welcomes the Gongbu New Year, the earliest traditional New Year of the year in Tibet. The Ringing Arrow Invitational Tournament follows the new year customs.

The picture shows each participating team. Photo provided by the organizer

The opening ceremony of the event kicked off with a theatrical performance with Gongbu characteristics. Gongbu dance, original ethnic songs, and national intangible cultural heritage representative project Mina Qiangmu took turns on the stage. Gongbu people dressed in traditional costumes sang and danced, winning bursts of applause from the audience.

The sound of the arrow is called "Bixiu" in Tibetan, which means "screaming sound". According to local cultural circles, the history of Gongbu Xiangjian can be traced back to the Tubo period, more than a thousand years ago. According to legend, King Ajijebu of Gongbu once formed the "Sounding Arrow Guard", which used sounding arrows to convey military information and boost morale in the canyon. The origin of the Gongbu New Year is also connected to the past events of this expedition - the soldiers went to war in advance to celebrate the New Year. After their victory, the sound of arrows gradually changed from a battlefield signal to a festive ceremony.

The picture shows the intangible cultural heritage dance Gongbu Mina Qiangmu performed at the opening ceremony. Photo provided by the organizer

The "ring" of the sounding arrow is all in the arrowhead. The arrowhead is not a pointed tip, but a hollow wooden arrowhead with a square top and a conical tail. There are four slightly inclined holes drilled into the wall of the arrowhead. The arrow leaves the string and flies at high speed, and the air passes through the small hole and resonates with it, producing a clear whistle.

During the competition, players aim at the target ring about 38 meters away. The arrow hits the red heart and the inner ring falls off with the arrow, which is a hit. On the Arrow Arena, arrows go hand in hand with song and dance: before the game, the archers and the song and dance team sang "Gongbu Arrow Song"; during the game, the male and female song and dance teams sang and danced to cheer for the archers.

The picture shows the contestants shooting arrows. Photo provided by the organizer

In 2007, Gongbu Xiangjian was included in the second batch of representative projects of intangible cultural heritage in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Today, tens of thousands of people in Linzhi participate in the ringing arrow movement, and most villages have ringing arrow ranges. In September 2024, the ringing arrow competition with 300 participants was certified by the Guinness World Records as the "largest ringing arrow competition".

It is reported that this event is jointly sponsored by the Shooting and Archery Sports Management Center of the State Sports General Administration, the Chinese Archery Association, the Tibet Autonomous Region Sports Bureau, the Linzhi Municipal People's Government, etc., and includes traditional bow, recurve bow and sound arrow individual and team competitions, as well as an archery song team competition.

The organizer said that this event is a vivid practice of promoting the national fitness strategy to take root on the plateau. It is also an important window to promote exchanges and integration among various ethnic groups and showcase the unique charm of Linzhi. (over)