Great Ming Military

Bombard-type Great General Cannon (bottom right) and its various sub-types....

Note:  This blog post was originally part of my Breech-loading Cannons of the Ming Dynasty  article. However, I decided to split (and slight...

Drawing of a Lian Zhu Pao (right) and Yu Gu Pao (left), from 'Wu Bei Ji Yao (《武備集要》)'. Lian Zhu Pao (連珠砲, lit. 'Rapid bead cann...

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

Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng (鉛彈一窩蜂) Drawing of Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng in shoulder bag for transportation (top right), and the same cannon when deployed...

Di Lei Lian Pao (地雷連砲, lit. 'Ground thunder rapid cannon') Drawing of three soldiers firing three Di Lei Lian Pao, from 'Wu Bei ...

Bai Zi Chong (百子銃, lit. 'Hundred bullet gun') Late Ming Bai Zi Chong discovered at an ancient battle site in Sichuan. Bai Zi Chong ,...

A Sai Gong Chong and its ramrod, from 'Bing Lu (《兵錄》)'. Sai Gong Chong (賽熕銃 or 賽貢銃, lit. 'Gun that can match a Fa Gong'...

UPDATED APRIL 17, 2026 Illustration of a large (left) and small (right) Wei Yuan Pao, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)' The  Wei Yuan...

I came across this interesting comparison at Baidu Tieba, although the original post has since been deleted. The original comparison is a s...

A Hu Dun Pao in remarkable preservation condition. Hu Dun Pao (虎蹲砲, lit. 'Tiger crouching cannon') was a type of iron cannon widely...

Hong Yi Pao (紅夷砲, lit. 'Red barbarian cannon') and  Xi Yang Pao (西洋砲, lit. 'Western Ocean cannon') are Chinese names for...

Drawing of a bronze Fa Gong on a European-style naval carriage, from 'Chou Hai Tu Bian (《籌海圖編》)'.

UPDATED MAY 7, 2022, minor update DECEMBER 31, 2025 Large Fo Lang Ji from the Nanjing City Wall Museum. Fo Lang Ji (佛郎機, lit. 'F...