If you are a follower of historical movies, you will probably glance at the king’s thumb rings from time to time . And wonder if each ring holds its own legend and “power”?
The arrow guard ring, known in ancient times as “the neep” , was an archery aid of the ancient kings. It is worn on the thumb of the right hand. The bottom of the ring has a small groove designed to hold the bowstring when pulling the arrow. The function of the arrow guard ring is as its name suggests, to support the user of the bow and arrow, to avoid scratching the finger when pulling the bow.
The technology of chisels in ancient times was not very high, so at that time, people only used the bones of large animals to make arrows, and later developed other materials. In the 17th century, in addition to the traditional military use, the guardian ring also began to have a decorative function.
During the Qing Dynasty , the aristocracy especially liked to wear this type of ring. Almost every emperor was a staunch fan of the guardian ring. This has to do with their traditional nomadic bloodline. Wearing an arrow guard ring is also a form of remembrance for archery.
The escort ring was also used by the Qing emperor to show his arrogance . Because archery is one of the “six arts” (6 art forms) that Confucius initiated since ancient times, including: weather, music, archery, horseback riding, calligraphy and math number. The fact that they can shoot archery is a proof that they have deeply inherited the thought of Confucius.
Archery is one of the six arts that Confucius mentioned.
When it comes to escorting rings, it is impossible not to mention the Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Among the art objects the king liked, porcelain came first, and the guardian ring came in second. During his lifetime, he also wrote hundreds of poems and carved hundreds of rings.
Qian Long painting by author Lang The Ninh. As can be seen in the drawing, the thumb of his right hand carries a jade guardian ring.
Today, excellent traditional art forms such as kendo or archery have ceased to exist. We can only through the image of the bow rings to rediscover the quintessential tradition and chivalry of an ancient Chinese culture. Let’s enjoy the top-notch bowing rings that are kept in the Palace museum in China to have an overview of this type of artifact:
Qianlong’s jade talisman ring
The jade guardian ring of King Gia Khanh reigns
A jade guardian ring written by Qian Long
The Qing Dynasty’s flat glass guardian ring
Qianlong’s jade talisman ring
The ring to see off the young pearl of Gia Khanh
Human-shaped ring made from white jade
“Dao light reigns” – a ring engraved with the word “H” made of jade bar“
Rings made from cow hooves in the Qing Dynasty
Rings engraved with the same level of gold in the youth
Qing Dynasty leather-lined jade hand-engraved ring
Youth gilded ring “considerate and eternal joy in the world of wine”
Qing Dynasty gold lined witch hazel ring