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Tiger spear logo

Tiger spear (Qing)

The "tiger spear" was a large hunting spear in use by the Qing dynasty Tiger spear division.

Tiger spear logo

Hǔqiāng(虎槍)

A large hunting spear in use by the Qing dynasty Tiger spear division.
Baktong logo

Baktong

Cantonese for báitóng.
Baiton saber guard logo

Báitóng (白銅)

An alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc used among others for sword parts.
Taotie logo

Tāotiè (饕餮)

Tāotiè (饕餮) is a mythical creature that is used as a decorative element.
Yanlingdao logo

Yànlíngdāo (雁翎刀)

A Chinese saber type that translates as "goose-feather saber".
Yanchidao logo

Yànchìdāo (雁翅刀)

Chinese saber type with a gently curved blade and clipped tip.
Liuyedao logo

Liǔyèdāo (柳葉刀)

A Chinese saber with a gentle curve.
Yanmaodao logo

Yànmáodāo (雁毛刀)

A Chinese saber type with a mainly straight blade that curves up at the tip. It literally means "goose-quill-saber".
Dandao logo

Dāndāo (單刀)

Literally "single saber", it refers to any type of dāo used solely without shield or weapon in the other hand.
Beri logo

Beri

Manchu word for "bow".
Huawengang logo

Huāwéngāng (花文鋼)

A type of pattern welding known in English as twist-core.
A rare Jinchuan sword logo

A rare Jinchuan sword

A royal sword, probably from the Wasi kingdom in present-day Sichuan province.
A Manchu bow from the Changxing workshop diagram logo

Measurements of a Manchu bow

Made in the famous Changxing workshop in Chengdu, which as the subject of Tan Danjiong's (T'an Tan-Chiung) "Investigative Report on Bow and Arrow Manufacture in Chengdu"
A Manchu style bow from the Changxing workshop in Chengdu logo

A Chinese bow by Changxing

Rare extant work of a famous workshop in Chengdu.
A Manchu saber logo

A 17th century Manchu saber

A massive 17th century saber blade with markings in Manchu and Chinese.
Hook weapons logo

Chinese crescent moon weapons

Unusual set of paired Chinese maces of good workmanship.
A niuweidao hilt logo

Niuweidao with Guangxu mark

Dated 1895. Large and heavy, a quality piece.
Niuweidao logo

Niúwěidāo (牛尾刀)

A late form of Chinese saber with a pronounced widening at the tip.
Saber glossary logo

Glossary of Chinese saber terminology

An overview of Chinese saber terminology as found in Chinese texts.
Large dadao logo

An exceptionally large dadao

With a wide clipped tip with notched upper edge.
Jianruiying logo

Jianruiying (2); weapons and equipment

The Jianruiying was an elite division of the Qing dynasty military consisting of crack troops that were specially tra

Wide bladed hudiedao

Antique wide bladed hudiedao

Introduction

The hudiedao (蝴蝶刀), are a type of double swords peculiar to the port cities of so

Village militia dadao

Village militia dadao

Description

A large Chinese double handed falchion of a form that is both related to the niuweidao

Chinese hook logo

A Chinese hook sword

A rather well-made example of its type.
Yi or lolo sword

A Yi / Lolo sword

Introduction

The Yi or Nuosuo people are known as Lolo in early Western ethnographic writings.

Handled dagger

Chinese jade handled dagger

It has a solid pale green jade hilt that is fitted to a silver collar-piece.
Chinese double jian set

Chinese double shortswords

A good set of the first half of the 19th century, with large and rather heavy forge folded blades.
Chinese saber mounts

Antique Chinese saber fittings

Description

An antique set of scabbard fittings for a Chinese saber, probably second half of the 18th centu

Rare mongolian knife

Rare iconographic Mongolian style knife

Introduction

Many Mongols, the Khalkas in particular, had close ties with the Manchu ruling elite during th

Hudiedao

Hudiedao set

Introduction

The hudiedao (蝴蝶刀), are a type of double swords peculiar to the port

Antique Chinese jian logo

Antique Chinese jian

A fine Chinese straightsword blade, of typical Qing form with a rather wide profile.
Republican period jian logo

Republican jian with etched blade

Description

A large and rather interesting Chinese jian dating from the Chinese Republican period.

Southern saber logo

Late Qing southern saber

With differential heat-treatment, creating a cloudy crystalline effect along the edge.
Late qing duanjian

Republican duanjian with good blade

Description

An unusual piece: Jian with these mountings are usually of the long type, often with a soft ste

Chinese loukong

Chinese openwork (loukong) saber guard

The archetypical Chinese sword guard of the 17th century.
Ancient bronze Ba-Shu dagger logo

Ancient Ba-Shu dagger

From approximately the 5th to 3rd century B.C.
Antique Chinese bronze mace logo

Antique Chinese bronze mace

Introduction

Chinese civilian martial artists used a wide variety of weapons.

Chinese trousse

Chinese trousse with inlaid iron mounts

Background

Sets with a knife and chopsticks -and sometimes some other utensils- were common all over the Qi

Qing dynasty hunter's powder flask

Qing dynasty hunter's powder flask

Introduction

The elite of the Qing dynasty was Manchu, who before taking over China from the Ming lived in

Ming - Qing transition period saber

Early Qing saber

A rare Chinese officer's saber of the 17th century.
Jianruiying logo

Jianruiying (1); introduction

The Jianruiying were a small elite unit of specially selected Manchu soldiers under the Qing dynasty. They were trained to overcome rough terrain, obstacles, and rivers in order to commence special attacks towards fortifications. In some ways, they are comparable to today's special forces.
Chinese tiger fork

Chinese tiger fork

One of the classic weapons in Chinese martial arts.
Chinese encyclopedia

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Things Chinese, 1719

Description

A Japanese volume from the 唐土訓蒙圖彚 or "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Things Chinese", it was publi

Chinese sword breaker

Chinese sword breaker

With tapering blade, hollow ground on each side to make the edges slightly sharper.
Antique Chinese repeating crossbow logo

Chinese repeating crossbow

Perhaps one of the most famous and long-lived of Chinese weapons.
Liuyedao logo

Excellent Qing officer saber

Introduction

The yaodao, literally "waist saber" was the standard side-arm for the Qing dynasty mi

Sirdan logo

A Sirdan, or Manchu war arrow

This large and imposing type of war arrow is often compared to a small spear.
Ming yanchidao saber blade

Ming dynasty saber blade

Introduction

The Chinese saber comes in a great variety of curvatures, profiles, and with different combina

18th-century peidao in iron fangshi mounts

Peidao in iron fangshi mounts

Introduction

The terms peidao or yaodao are synonyms that were in use simultaneously in Q