Scale armours from 'Yu Zi Shi San Zhong Mi Shu Bing Heng (《喻子十三種秘書兵衡》)'

Hun Jin Jia (渾金甲, lit. 'Native gold armour')

Bronze helmet, mask and body armour, from 'Yu Zi Shi San Zhong Mi Shu Bing Heng (《喻子十三種秘書兵衡》)'.

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Unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty — Xun Lei Chong (迅雷銃)

MINOR UPDATE FEBRUARY 5, 2026

Drawing of a soldier firing Xun Lei Chong, from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

One of the most complex weapons developed by Ming Dynasty firearm specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨),  and his signature work, the Xun Lei Chong (迅雷銃, lit. 'Quick thunder gun') was a self-contained weapon system that incorporated a five-barrelled matchlock gun with a detachable trigger mechanism, a layered leather-and-cotton composite gun shield, an axe that doubled as a musket rest, and a spear with a flare launcher mounted on its butt—allowing adaptation to a variety of combat situations.

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Breech-loading arquebuses of the Ming Dynasty

UPDATED JANUARY 7, 2022, minor update MAY 14, 2023

One of the major weaknesses of early black powder firearms was the abysmal firing rate. Chinese people certainly weren't strangers to this problem, and showed remarkable ingenuity in their attempts to solve the issue. The most prominent figure in the development of breech-loading matchlock gun was Ming firearms specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨), who pioneered the idea of combining Fo Lang Ji (佛狼機) breech-loading swivel gun and matchlock gun into one weapon.

Che Dian Chong (掣電銃, lit. 'Lightning arquebus')

Variant 1

Drawing of a Che Dian Chong, from a Wanli period print of 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

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