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| Drawing of a Xian Qiang, from 'Lian Bing Za Ji (《練兵雜紀》)'. |
Xian Qiang (線鎗, lit. 'Line spear' or 'Linear spear') was a lightweight lance or cavalry spear used by Ming cavalrymen in Northern China. General Qi Ji Guang (戚繼光) standardised the weapon into its current form, with a two
chi spearhead and seven
chi shaft, for a total length of nine
chi. The spear shaft was extremely thin, only one
cun in diameter, and the spear only weighted three
jin. The spearhead was tapered to an acute point for better penetration.
This spear was also known as Tou Jia Qiang (透甲鎗, armour-piercing spear) for its armour piercing properties.
Was waxwood or any flexible type of wood commonly seen in martial arts films and wushu demonstrations used historically or did the Imperial military use hard wood?
ReplyDeleteHardwood was the preferred and practical material for spear shaft, especially since Chinese battlefield spears usually range from 2.9m to 5.8m in length.
DeleteEarly Qing martial artist Wu Shu also considered waxwood too soft and only suitable for staff weapon.
Nevertheless, softwood and bamboo were also used as spear shaft, particularly for spears of extreme length (7.7m and above).
which point(base on the drawing) of the shaft is a spear head?
ReplyDeleteTop.
Deletevery interesting does that leaf shape spear head add anything on penetration?
DeleteI am pretty sure the spearhead has a triangular or square cross-section, more like a spike than a blade.
DeleteDo you have any pictures of Ming era spearheads that resemble the Xian Qiang?
ReplyDeleteThere is one photo of spearhead shared by netizens from China that is most likely a Xian Qiang. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNVOvVFwhbglnjJpAYKX-1sNdxgF62PNmTXL5UPS0ijXr6FXTza2oTmwebmtXE5DQ?key=ZV9TYm5NaHY2WHBRY3Z0c1lEZWRqVW11bS1kRXh3
DeleteExcellent find!
Delete