TED-Ed C1: A day in the life of a martial artist in medieval China

At dawn one morning in 1030 CE,

Chu Hong wakes to the sound of fast-approaching footsteps.

His best friend, Liang Gao, rushes to him.

The local magistrate has been spotted holding a surprise archery competition in a nearby town

and will arrive at their village soon.

This is Hong's chance to showcase his talents

and secure some much-needed money for his family,

which is still reeling from the loss of his father.

The news clouds Hong's mind as he tends his family's millet field.

When he returns home, his sister, Zhi, and mother, Lihua, have already heard.

Lihua serves breakfast, then returns to the task that kept her up last night:

her silkworms.

There's little money left from her husband's farm work,

which she's meagerly supplemented with her weavings,

and the silk she painstakingly harvests with Zhi.

Silkworms are finicky creatures.

Lihua and Zhi to keep the house warm and feed the caterpillar mulberry leaves constantly

before they unravel the silken cocoons

and sell them to be made into fine cloths they'll never wear themselves.

The family is struggling to survive long-term,

and Hong wants to give his mother and sister some hope.

He heads off to train with his martial arts teacher.

Li Qiangbiang had been an imperial soldier until he injured himself

and returned to his home village and devoted himself to teaching.

Like many towns on China's northern border,

they stay vigilant to raids from the north and roving bandits.

The border has been fairly quiet since 1005,

when China established a peace treaty with the Liao dynasty,

which encompasses the nomadic and pastoral groups of the northern steppe.

But the village maintains an active, local militia of conscripted townspeople.

Hong's father was his first martial arts teacher.

Together they practiced spear fighting, wrestling,

and the most important martial skill: archery.

Hong has since become Qiangbing's most committed student.

Now, Qiangbing tests his strength.

Hong successfully draws a heavily weighted bow while standing and on horseback,

then fires it, surpassing his personal record.

Hearing the commotion accompanying the magistrate's arrival,

Hong and Qiangbing share a glance,

then march to the village center, Gao joining them on the way.

Confucius himself emphasized the importance of archery in fostering social harmony.

And the Song dynasty uses archery competitions to recruit talent

and ensure that villagers are practicing defense.

Spectators gather and the magistrate arranges a target,

places a piece of silver on it,

and announces that anyone whose arrow hits it can keep it.

One by one, young men dance into position and take aim.

Some get close, including Gao, but no one is successful.

Hong finally raises his bow and arrow,

and the composure he learned from his father washes over him.

He strikes the target and the crowd cheers.

The magistrate sets up another silver piece

and Hong hits it again and again.

This much silver could support his family for an entire year.

But then the magistrate offers something even greater:

a position in the provincial army with a regular salary.

This would allow Hong to take care of his family

and provide his sister a dowry for a good marriage match.

He accepts without hesitation.

As Hong and Gao walk home, it sinks in that they won't be taking this journey together.

They relish each other's company then part at the usual fork in the road.

Gao will continue farming to make a living for his family

while Hong will begin advanced martial arts training.

If he excels, he could enter the imperial army

and his family could join him in the capital city of Kaifeng,

home to over a million people.

Maybe one day, Hong could even pass the military exams

and join the Bureau of Military Affairs.

The Chu family sits for a celebratory dinner,

and Hong's emotions stir as he considers the secure future ahead for his family

and all he wishes he could bring along with him.