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-mounted 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).