Thread: Regrets
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Old December 17, 2018, 11:44 PM   #14
Rachen
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 10, 2006
Location: Weekend cowboy
Posts: 542
Hi Matty, I was actually just about to retire for the night when I saw this post, so I am going to offer my 2 cents:

There is no need to feel shame or guilt about posting pictures of your hunt. It should be noted with pride and accomplishment. You have been gifted with the ability to provide food for your family, and even though we live in an age of markets and trade, it is an age we take for granted. Do you know how fast a society can turn downhill, whether from war or pestilence or natural disaster? Skills like shooting and hunting will ALWAYS be valuable and will save lives when the need arises.

I am an avid hunter myself. Why? Because I prefer my food to be free from steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones, and especially the cruelty of factory farming and the abattoir slaughter system, which causes the meat to be filled with stress hormones that can lead to a whole host of human health problems. Of course, I have consumed factory farmed meat but I try to free-range harvest my food whenever possible. And just like the other individuals on this thread have stated, I am also vehemently against the hunt for trophies or sport. If I am going to shoot an animal, it is either going to be consumed as food, or because it was presenting a threat to me or people that I care about.

I come from a culture that is rooted around hunting, shooting and the harvest of game. In northern China, there is a long, long history of self reliance because the land is harsh and dangerous. Even today, people live off the land there and all of my family who dwell in the South Gobi portion of China hunt and herd for sustenance.

The hunting pictures that I have posted below date back to the 1600's, from the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. As you can see, depicting and painting the hunt was so important in Chinese culture that it is even used on porcelains and pottery, all of which today are pricelessly valuable and are stored only in the most highly guarded museums. Even the reproductions of these plates cost a fortune and is used by people like government officials and corporate executives to establish their status in society.

Emperor Kangxi chasing arrow-wounded deer with chain-mace - 1660's


Getting ready for the hunt: An Imperial sharpshooter checks his bow - 1650-1670


More imperial officers on the hunt - app. early 1700's


Huntsmen afield - app. 1700's


There are a number of these plates also in my family's collection. They are reproductions from the Republic (Mingguo) era and they are still highly valued if they appear on the market at any time. Those who display such items are showing others that they are sportsmen and they are highly dedicated to the lifestyle.

Last edited by Rachen; December 17, 2018 at 11:51 PM.
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