meaning simply extraordinary bravery.^25 There is some archaeological
evidence showing images of men boxing in a variety of stances not entirely
inconsistent with some modern practices.^26
Trials of strength also continued as competitive performances and
markers of martial prowess. The Hundred Events included stone turning
and tripod lifting. Strength was directly connected toqior physical power.
Xiang Yu was not only described as“eight feet tall”but also strong enough
to lift a tripod. He declared,“My strength uprooted mountains, my power
covered the age.”The close connection between strength, martial arts, and
hunting is clearly expressed in a Han dynasty image on a stone portraying
seven men in various activities. These men not only lift things like tripods,
but also bear weapons, carry dead animals, and tie up tigers. This image
seems to encompass a lifestyle or culture of powerful male activities.^27
The long sword continued to be a popular weapon during the Han
dynasty, giving rise to“Long sword guests”劍客,orperhaps“Swordsmen,”
who made their living based on their fencing skills. Swordsmen like Qi
Zhangzhong and Qu Chenghou established empire-wide reputations based
on their fencing. Not surprisingly, many of these swordsmen could be found
among the warriors camped on the border, where the major Han armies were
posted to deal with incursions fromthe steppe. Li Lu reported that the
extraordinarily talented swordsmenontheborderwereallfromJingand
Chu (regions of south and central China).^28 Unfortunately, he does not
explain why the best swordsmen came from these two regions. The wide-
spread interest in long sword fencing led some scholars to write a fencing
manualTheWayoftheLongSword劍道in thirty-seven chapters, no longer
extant.
Long sword fencing was both popular as an entertainment and extremely
dangerous. The crown prince of the king of Huainan, for example, loved
fencing and believed himself to be the best in the empire. When he heard that
Lei Bei was an excellent fencer, he challenged him to a duel. Unfortunately
for the crown prince, Lei proved the better fencer. The crown prince not
only lost but was also wounded in the process. Fencing was a perfectly
acceptable pursuit for a poet as well as an aristocrat. Of the famedfupoet
Sima Xiangru, it was said,“In his youth, [he] loved to read books and study
long sword fencing.”^29
A new form of the long sword appeared about this time. The Ring
Pommel or Round Grip Sword環柄刀, originally a cavalry weapon, came
into widespread use during the early Han dynasty. This was a single-edged,
straight sword, very similar in overall form to the long sword. There was no
hilt to protect the hand or separate the grip from the blade. Archaeological
The Han Dynasty Hundred Events and Martial Arts 69