Great Ming Military

Huo Qiu (火毬, lit. 'Fire ball') was a type of primitive incendiary trebuchet ammunition made of paper, bamboo basketry, or even cla...

Section of the scroll painting 'Ru Bi Tu (《入蹕圖》)', depicting Emperor Shenzong's entourage launching firework rockets into the ...

Components of a Zhong Huo Ku, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

UPDATED JULY 11, 2024 Tian Gong Kai Wu (《天工開物》) variant Drawing of Wan Ren Di in action, from 'Tian Gong Kai Wu (《天工開物》)'. Wan Re...

Drawing of a Huo Dan Tong (highlighted), from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'. The Huo Dan Tong was a hand-mortar-style flare gun designed by...

As the inventor of firearms, Chinese were also one of the first (if not the very first) to build their guns out of non-standard materials su...

MINOR UPDATE JUNE 9, 2025 Pen Tong (噴筒, lit. 'Spurt tube') was a type of important but often overlooked gunpowder weapon o...