Abstract: The high-profile "Grand Shooting" of the Western Zhou was not only a reflection of the splendor of the shooting rites under the prevalence of the rites and music system, but also an important historical phenomenon. Using the methods of literature combing, logical analysis and historical verification, this historical phenomenon is discussed in the context of sports competition, sports communication and "state" governance. The study concludes that: from the perspective of sports competition, the Western Zhou, in which the rite of archery was prevalent, seemed to be at the top of competition; from the perspective of sports interaction, however, the competitive circle, which took the rulers of Western Zhou Dynasty as the core and the rite of archery as the means to establish identity, may not have been a stable political regime or a cultural community; furthermore, from the perspective of governance, behind the competitive events, the governance in Western Zhou had actually fallen into a rather severe situation. Interpreting the different meanings of the same shooting rite event through the different perspectives of sports competition, sports exchange and governance is of positive significance for further understanding the relationship between the pre-Qin shooting rite, social interaction, and state governance.

Key words: shooting rite, sports competition, sports interaction, state governance, sports history