Flails of the Ming Dynasty

Tie Lian Jia Bang (鐵鏈夾棒, lit. 'Iron chain with clubs')

Drawing of a Tie Lian Jia Bang, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Tie Lian Jia Bang was the Chinese version of two-handed infantry flail. It was also known as Lian Ting (連梃, lit. 'Linked staff'), Lian Jia Bang (連耞棒), and several other names.

Early references of this weapon can be found in the works of Warring States period Mo Zi (《墨子》) and Tang period Tong Dian (《通典》). However, according to Song period Wu Jing Zong Yao (《武經總要》), this weapon originated from a specialised cavalry weapon used by the nomadic enemies of China.

A pair of flails, from 'Huang Chao Li Qi Tu Shi (《皇朝禮器圖式》)'.

During Qing period, flail became associated with Han Jun (漢軍, lit. 'Han Banners'). Qing flails were generally smaller and usually used in pairs.

Nowadays this weapon is known as Shao Zi Gun (梢子棍) and Pan Long Gun (盤龍棍, lit. 'Coiling dragon staff') by the Chinese martial arts communities.

Lian Zhu Shuang Tie Bian (連珠雙鐵鞭, lit. 'Linked bead double iron whip')

Drawing of a Lian Zhu Shuang Tie Bian (highlighted), from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Lian Zhu Shuang Tie Bian was a variant of common infantry flail that had two connected striking ends, making it an early predecessor of three-section staff.

Ball-and-chain-flail

Ming period painting of Lei Gong (雷公), Chinese god of thunder, with a ball-and-chain flail. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

While extremely uncommon, ball-and-chain flail was known to the Chinese. However, whether this weapon was actually used on the battlefield is anyone's guess.

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Lang Ya Bang (狼牙棒)

Drawing of a Lang Ya Bang, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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Maces of the Ming Dynasty

The proper Chinese name for mace is Gu Duo (骨朵), which was a corruption of Gua Zhun (胍肫), meaning big belly or flower bud. It was also known as Chui (錘, can be written as 鎚, meaning hammer), the later term is more common in modern usage.

Suan To Gu Duo (蒜頭骨朵, lit. 'Garlic mace')

Drawing of a Suan Tou Gu Duo, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Suan Tou Gu Duo was a mace with a garlic- or pumpkin-shaped mace head.

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Tie Bian (鐵鞭) and Tie Jian (鐵鐧)

MINOR UPDATE JUNE 4, 2026

Tie Bian (鐵鞭, lit. 'iron whip')

Drawing of a Tie Bian (highlighted), from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

The Tie Bian, often shortened to simply Bian (鞭, whip), was a type of Chinese blunt weapon. It was a segmented solid metal rod with multiple prominent, bamboo-like nodes mounted on a sword hilt. The metal rod of the Tie Bian usually had a rounded cross-section.

Tie Jian (鐵鐧 or 鐵簡, lit. 'Iron slip')

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

The Tie Jian, also known simply as a Jian (鐧), was a subtype of the same weapon. Like the Tie Bian, it was a solid metal rod mounted on a sword hilt, although it did not have nodes and featured a concave, square cross-section. The Tie Jian superficially resembled the Chinese Tie Chi (鐵尺, lit. 'Iron ruler'), the Okinawan sai (釵, lit. 'hairpin'), and the Japanese jitte (十手, lit. 'ten hands'), and was the predecessor of them all, although it was much longer than any of them..

Interestingly, the Tie Jian was occasionally used as a throwing weapon, which gave rise to the idiom "Sa Shou Jian (撒手鐧, lit. 'Cast away Jian')". This was later corrupted into "Sha Shou Jian (殺手鐧, lit. 'Killing hand Jian', also translated as 'Assassin's mace')".

Tie Jian made by famous Northern Song general Li Gang (李綱), currently kept at Fujian Museum. This specimen has a length of 38", and weighs 8 lbs.

While both the Tie Bian and the Tie Jian were often compared to law enforcement weapons such as the police baton, they were in fact deadly battlefield weapons designed to kill. They fulfilled the same role as the mace and the war hammer — bypassing heavy armour through blunt trauma.

The Tie Bian and Tie Jian had several advantages over typical maces and war hammers. They offered greater reach and better balance than their top-heavy counterparts, allowing the wielder to deliver faster blows in rapid succession. They were also compatible with most forms of sword techniques, including thrusting and parrying. A blow from these weapons was incredibly difficult to parry, and body armour and helmets offered little protection against the devastating blunt trauma they inflicted.

Two-handed Tie Bian and Tie Jian

Two-handed Tie Jian (left) and Tie Bian (right), from 'Wu Bei Yao Lue (《武備要略》)'.

While far rarer than their one-handed counterparts, two-handed versions of the Tie Bian and Tie Jian also existed. Comparable in size to the Chang Dao (長刀), these two-handed weapons were significantly heavier than their smaller counterparts. They also drew strong parallels to the European estoc.

An extremely rare two-handed Tie Jian in private collection.

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