CHANG Hung: Pistol Shooting Fundamentals

[conradin]

I recently did some research on the history of the Olympic shooting team of China. While most know about Xu Haifeng (许海峰) as the first person from PRC to win a gold medal (Free Pistol, 84 Olympics), some may remember Su Zhibo (苏之渤) as the first gold medalist from PRC in any international athletic competition (Free Pistol, Asian Games 1974). However the man that was even more interesting was Chang Hung (张鈜). He broke the unofficial world record in a regional meet in Shanghai in July 1956 in Rapid Fire Pistol for 587 at the age of 22, then famously broke it again in the national competition later that year in Beijing for 586, above the official world record of 585. In 1959 for the national military games he shot an unofficial world record for free pistol at 567, which was the national record until he broke it again 19 years later, towards the end of his career, with a score of 570,in 1978.
He was supposed to be one of the favorites in the 1956 Olympics, but PRC pulled out of the Olympics in protest for the inclusion of RoC (Republic of China) so he never got the chance. The PRC would not compete in any full-international competition until 1974 in the Tehran Asian Games. Her only significant competition were the 1963 and 67 GANEFO. Then the Cultural revolution came, and the entire sports system collapsed. The shooting team was disbanded, and athletes were sent to farms or factory (such as Su Zhibo) or worse, re-education camps.
Chang won a lot of national competitions, and was adored by the public primarily because he was considered the first PRC athlete to break any sport world record (1956). However due to political circumstances his sports achievement was relatively scarce: 1963 GANEFO Free Pistol Gold against weak competition (The Soviets sent their second strings), and the 1978 Asian Games Air Pistol Bronze also against weak competitions. When he retired in 1979, he got his second national sport honor medal in 1979, this one directly from Zhou En-lai. By then the new generation of Chinese shooters began to come to the scene, such as Wang Yifu and Xu Haifeng.
What is the most important reason of why I post this and is relevant to you all is that he wrote, in 1959, the first Chinese Pistol Shooting Manual 手枪射击要领. Sort of like the Bible for the Chinese shooters for many many years. There is no translation that I know of, and title means "Pistol Shooting Fundamentals". In the book he discusses and teaches the sport of free pistol, rapid fire pistol, and center fire pistol with pictures and photos, and pretty spot on and modern. He seems to used a customized Margolin and a MTs 2-3 but who knows from the grainy photos. I will post the book in pdf and hope you all will find it interesting

A young Chang Hung shooting Rapid Fire Pistol in 1956.

An old Chang Hung competing in Air Pistol in late 1970s.

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http://www.oaklandpinkpistols.org/resou ... 0Hung).pdf
Pistol Shooting Fundamentals (CHANG Hung)

[seamaster]

Excellent manual, full of nice nuance on shooting technique.

Written in mostly unsimplified traditional Chinese characters (1958), I think most people now a day, having been taught simplied Chinese (Chinese government has simplified Chinese characters twice since then), would have a hard time reading that manual.

[JJJJJJ]

This article is very good, the aiming part is excellent.

[rmca]

Would someone be so kind to translate this.
After all it's chinese for most of us... ;)

Thanks!