The evolution of shields in China — Part 3: Song to Qing

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms that followed the downfall of Tang Dynasty was a period of chaos and upheaval. Eventually, the northeastern part of China largely fall under the dominion of Khitan Liao Dynasty, while various kingdoms of China proper eventually unified under Song Dynasty, very much like Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

Most of the recognisable designs and aesthetics of Chinese shield, such as painted-on tiger or dragon head motif, lack of shield boss, and strong preference of round and pentagonal shields, as well as free-standing shields, became firmly established during this period. While new shields continued to be introduced, they no longer deviate significantly from the established norms.

Song Dynasty (960 AD – 1279 AD)

Must like its Southern Dynasties predecessors, Song Dynasty faced constant threat from several enemies with overwhelming cavalry superiority, namely Khitans, Jurchens and Mongols, as well as Tanguts to a lesser extent. However, Song Dynasty's attempts to emulate the combined arms force of its predecessors had largely failed due to several factors, chief among them the prohibitive cost, as well as the lost of technical knowledge of military-grade wagon crafting (due to the fact that exceedingly powerful Tang cavalry made war wagon obsolete and its knowledge forgotten).

A heavily deteriorated mural found in an ancient tomb at Xinhua county, depicting an armoured soldier with an enormous shield. Based on the coinage found inside the tomb, it is believed to date to late Northern Song period.

As such, Song Dynasty was forced to adopt a passive defensive strategy. Song army had few cavalry and was heavily reliant on its crossbowmen, so it was only natural that free-standing shield became the dominant shield type during this period.

It should be noted that rattan shield began to appear in written records during Song period, although it had yet to be adopted en masse by the Chinese army.

Free-standing pentagonal shield/Bu Bing Pang Pai (步兵旁牌) and Li Pai (立牌)

Various types of free-standing infantry shields, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

This type of shield was made of either wooden planks or thick bamboo rods, bound together with cowhide thongs. It was pentagonal in shape, with a V-shape sloped surface for better deflection. It measured roughly 61 inches (~155 cm) in height, and 37 inches (~94 cm) in width, and came equipped with a 37 inches prop. 

Li Pai and Bu Bing Pang Pai only differed in size and purpose but not in shape and construction. Li Pai was generally used in siege/siege defence, while Bu Bing Pang Pai was used for field battle.

Round cavalry shield/Qi Bing Pang Pai (騎兵旁牌)

Drawing of a Qi Bing Pang Pai, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Song period cavalry shield was made of wood, presumably with leather facing. Unlike round cavalry shields of most other cultures, Chinese cavalry shield was strapped to the arm, rather than centre-gripped. This was likely because reinless riding was rather common among Chinese cavalry, whose primary methods of warfare were horse archery, two-handed lance or polearm, and dismounted combat.

Pentagonal long shield

Section of the scroll painting 'Xi Yue Jiang Lin Tu (《西嶽降靈圖》)' by famous Northern Song painter Li Gong Lin (李公麟), depicting two swordsmen armed with long shields.

While free-standing shield became much more common during this period, handheld shield continued to see some use. Song period pentagonal long shield appears to be slightly larger than its Tang Dynasty counterpart, and replaced the simple Tang-style decoration with more elaborate animal/dragon head motif.

Yuan Dynasty (1271 AD – 1368 AD)

Section of the 13th century copy of Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba (《蒙古襲来絵詞 》), depicting  Mongol troops (likely Korean auxiliaries) standing behind a row of rectangular shields.

As a conquest dynasty, the army of the Great Yuan inherited nearly all Jin and Song Dynasty military equipment as-is. Most Song Dynasty shield types remained in use throughout Yuan period, although many of them underwent name change. Free-standing infantry shield came to be known as Fang Pai (防牌, lit. 'Defence shield') during Yuan period, heavy siege mantlet became Guai Zi Mu Pai (拐子木牌, lit. 'Crutched wooden shield'), while round cavalry shield became Tuan Pai (團牌, lit. 'Round shield'). Kalkan-like wickerwork willow construction was introduced by the Mongols to supplement traditional wooden/bamboo shield used by Chinese troops, although Yuan period cavalry shield retained the strapped construction of Chinese round shield, unlike its centre-gripped distant relatives. Moreover, Yuan period also saw the introduction of iron version of Tuan Pai.

A new type of foldable shield, known as Die Dun (疊盾, lit. 'Stackable shield'), was developed during Yuan period, although no pictorial depiction of the shield survives to this day.

Ming Dynasty (1368 AD – 1644 AD)

Section of one of the illustrations of 'Di Jian Tu Shuo (《帝鑒圖說》)', also known as 'Recueil Historique des Principaux Traits de la Vie des Empereurs Chinois', depicting groups of Ming troops standing behind a fence made of shields.

After the overthrown of Yuan Dynasty, Chinese army returned to a somewhat more balanced, combined arms-oriented state. Traditional leather-faced wooden shield became the norm once again during early Ming period, only to be gradually superseded by nimbler and more protective wickerwork shield made of either willow (North China) or rattan (South China). Due to massive proliferation of firearms, Ming army as a whole became lighter armoured and more mobile, and this trend also reflected on shield design.

Free-standing shield/Ai Pai (挨牌)

Front (right) and back (left) view of an Ai Pai, from 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu (《紀效新書》)'.

The Ming iteration of free-standing infantry shield, Ai Pai was generally smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Gone was the sloped surface, and in its place new features such as spikes, weapon rack, caltrop storage and gun slits were added. Ming period free-standing shield came in a variety of shapes such as the classic long pentagon, chevron-shaped (pictured above), rectangle, trapezoid, oblong and swallowtail.

Front (right) and back (left) view of a rocket-armed shield, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Many Ai Pai were also designed to store or serve as weapon platform for a variety of firearms, in particular handgonne and rocket.

For more details on Ming Dynasty Ai Pai, see my other posts.

Handheld long shield/Shou Pai (手牌)

Drawing of a handheld shield, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Shou Pai was essentially handheld version of Ai Pai. It came in pretty much the same variety of shapes as Ai Pai, although long pentagon and swallowtail shape were the most common. Unlike centre-gripped long shields of earlier dynasties, Ming period Shou Pai was vertically strapped.

Section of scroll painting 'Wakō-zukan (《倭寇図巻》)', depicting Ming swordsmen armed with pentagonal long shields.

It should be noted that some Ai Pai could be used as both free-standing shield and handheld shield, blurring the distinction between the two.

Swallowtail shield/Yan Wei Pai (燕尾牌) 

Front (right) and back (left) view of a Yan Wei Pai, from 'Chou Hai Tu Bian (《籌海圖編》)'.

A subtype of Ming handheld shield, Yan Wei Pai was a slender and agile shield with a characteristic swallowtail shape. It was the preferred shield of Lang Bing (狼兵), ethnic minority auxiliaries under Ming employment, and was probably introduced by them into the Ming army.

For more details on Ming Dynasty Yan Wei Pai, see my other post.

Round cavalry shield/Qi Bing Pang Pai (騎兵旁牌)

Section of the scroll painting ‘Ping Fan De Sheng Tu (《平番得勝圖》)’, depicting dismounted Ming cavalrymen in a square formation, bearing round shields. 

Round shield, whether made of wood, wickerwork, or iron, was still used by Chinese troops during Ming period. Unlike earlier dynasties, Ming cavalry did appear to use both strapped and centre-gripped cavalry shield, possibly due to further Mongol influence.

Rattan shield/Teng Pai (藤牌)

Drawing of a rattan shield, from 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu (《纪效新书》)'.

Originated from Fujian, Teng Pai was adopted by Ming army around sixteenth century. It quickly gained popularity and went on to become the most widely used shield in all of China. Ming period Teng Pai was usually round and came with only two rattan loops. The wooden handle bar that so characterised Chinese rattan shield was probably incorporated into the design during Ming-Qing transition period or later.

For more details on Ming Dynasty Teng Pai, see my other post.

Qing Dynasty (1644 AD – 1912 AD)

After the demise of Ming Dynasty, China once again fell under the rule of foreign conquerors. The Great Qing empire, last imperial dynasty of China, restructured its military into two organisations: the elite and prestigious Ba Qi (八旗, Eight Banners) made up of Manchus, Mongols, and some Han Chinese, as well as the more numerous, Han-majority Lu Ying (綠營, Green Standard Army) made up of various absorbed elements of former Ming military. Most forms of Ming shield designs, save one, were preserved in the arsenal of Lu Ying. Nevertheless, shield already became hopelessly obsolete in this age of gunpowder, and was well on its way out.

Large infantry shield/Ai Pai

Drawing of a Lu Ying Ai Pai, from 'Huang Chao Li Qi Tu Shi (《皇朝禮器圖式》)'.

Lu Ying Ai Pai was a massive wooden shield with a concave top, measuring roughly 80.6 inches (~204.8 cm) in height and roughly 30.2 inches (~76.8 cm) wide at the top and 23 inches (~57.6 cm) wide at the bottom. The shield was designed to be strapped vertically to the arm by means of cords.

Trapezoid hand shield/Dun (盾) and Hu Tou Pai (虎头牌)

Hu Tou Pai (left) and Dun (right), from 'Huang Chao Li Qi Tu Shi (《皇朝禮器圖式》)'.

Lu Ying Dun (盾, shield) and Hu Tou Pai (虎頭牌, lit. 'Tiger head shield') were two nearly identical shields, only differed slightly in size, shield decoration and the fact that Hu Tou Pai had leather facing. Both shields were essentially downsized version of Ming Dynasty Shou Pai.

Dun measured 32.6 inches (~83 cm) in height, 20.2 inches (~51.2 cm) at the top and 16.4 inches (~41.6 cm) at the bottom, while Hu Tou Pai measured roughly 36.5 inches (~92.8 cm) in height, 18.9 inches (~48 cm) at the top and 13.8 inches (~35.2 cm) at the bottom. Both shields were of strapped construction, utilising rattan cords as straps.

Swallowtail shield/Yan Wei Pai

Drawing of a Yan Wei Pai, from 'Huang Chao Li Qi Tu Shi (《皇朝禮器圖式》)'.

Lu Ying Yan Wei Pai was likewise a downsized, as well as upturned, version of Ming Dynasty Yan Wei Pai. It measured roughly 29 inches (~73.6 cm) in height, and only 11.3 inches (~28.8 cm) in width.

Late Qing period export art depicting a militiaman wielding two Yan Wei Pai. Source: The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Round wooden shield

Drawing of a Yuan Mu Pai, from 'Huang Chao Li Qi Tu Shi (《皇朝禮器圖式》)'.

Qing period round shield was also smaller than round shields of previous dynasties. It only measured 26.4 inches (67.2 cm) in diameter.

Rattan shield/Teng Pai

Drawing of a Teng Pai, from 'Huang Chao Li Qi Tu Shi (《皇朝禮器圖式》)'.

Despite the sharp decline of shield during Qing period, Chinese rattan shield went against this trend and continued to see widespread use well into twentieth century. Qing period Teng Pai was virtually unchanged from its Ming Dynasty counterpart.

Western depiction of a Tiger of War, from 'Costume of China', by William Alexander.

Teng Pai was one of the few Chinese military equipment (apart from firearms) to be intentionally adopted by the elite Ba Qi army. In fact, an elite corps of ex-Koxinga rattan shieldmen went on and become one of the feared special forces of the Qing army. They later came to be known as "Tiger soldiers" or "Tigers of War" by Western observers due to their distinctive uniforms.

The last Patreon exclusive blog post is finally up! If you like this blog post, please also support my work at Patreon!

Other blog posts in my Shield Evolution series:

Part 1: Shang to Han

Part 2: Northern and Southern Dynasties to Tang

Part 3: Song to Qing

Part 4: Shields of China's peripherals and Sinosphere (Patron-only content)