Hu Wei Chong (虎尾銃)

Drawing of two Hu Wei Chong mounted on a double-ended stand, from 'Wu Bei Ji Yao (《武備集要》)'.

Hu Wei Chong (虎尾銃, lit. 'Tiger tail gun'), also known as Hu Wei Pao (虎尾砲, lit. 'Tiger tail cannon'), was a common but very obscure Ming cannon first introduced around 1560s. So named after the long wooden handle attached to its breech, Hu Wei Chong was a lightweight iron cannon designed to be mounted on a wooden swiveling stand that allowed a very wide arc of movement (note that the wooden stand pictured above, which could mount two cannons, was a late Ming modification). The cannon came in two sizes: a large one that had a seven fen bore and a two and a half chi long barrel, which could be loaded with five qian of gunpowder and dozens of lead balls, as well as a small one that had a three fen bore and a one chi long barrel, which was only loaded with one qian of gunpowder and a single bullet.

Hu Wei Chong was possibly intended to be a successor to an older swivel mount cannon known as Xuan Feng Pao (旋風砲, lit. 'Whirlwind cannon'), which was made of bronze and could only fire stone shots. It could also be seen as an indigenously-designed counterpart to European-influenced Bai Zi Chong (百子銃).