Chinese tiěbiān mace
A Chinese "sword breaker" with the rarer, bamboo-sectioned rod.Chinese garlic mace
Called suàntóu gǔduǒ in Mandarin, with characteristic brass head.Ming militia dao
From the Ming-Qing transition period, with many typical Ming features.Ming style spearhead
A heavy, well-made piece that was probably a military issue.Qijiadao in Vince Evans mounts
The 17th-century blade is mounted in fittings designed by Philip Tom and executed by Vince Evans some 20 years ago.Ming jian with chiseled mounts
A very early, full-length type, rarely seen with chiseled iron mounts.Dāo cáo (刀槽)
Qing Chinese for a groove in a saber blade.Tibetan style pierced saddle plate
With designs of four dragons in scrollwork around a "wish-granting-jewel"Yútóudāo (魚頭刀)
A subtype of Chinese sabers with a peaked spine.Chinese forked mace
A forked mace with cast ornament in the middle of the cross guard.An antique chángdāo
Its large blade is of ridged cross-section, inspired by the Japanese design.Jiǎn (鐧)
A type of Chinese mace with a smooth rod.Early Chinese duǎndāo
With rare downward curving grip as seen on artwork of the 17th and 18th centuries.Yànlíngdāo (雁翎刀)
A Chinese saber type that translates as "goose-feather saber".Yànchìdāo (雁翅刀)
Chinese saber type with a gently curved blade and clipped tip.Liǔyèdāo (柳葉刀)
A Chinese saber with a gentle curve.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".Dāndāo (單刀)
Literally "single saber", it refers to any type of dāo used solely without shield or weapon in the other hand.Huāwéngāng (花文鋼)
A type of pattern welding known in English as twist-core.Ming dynasty saber blade
Introduction
The Chinese saber comes in a great variety of curvatures, profiles, and with different combina
Antique Miaodao
Miaodao simply being a more recent name for the wodao.A typology of Chinese sabers
Introduction
Historical references on Chinese saber types are scarce, and the information they provide scan