Subject: 民兵 man4bing1 militiaman
Culture: Cantonese Chinese
Setting: Liangguang 19thc
Object: polearms
*
Hanwei #SH2072 *
Higgins Armory Museum *
* Royal Armouries Museum > Oriental Gallery
"Group of staff weapons
A number of sets of staff weapons were copied from the ones preserved in the Imperial Palace at Guangdong (Canton). Two complete sets were presented to the Royal Armouries, one of the made for a Mr Bouchier Wrey, while a further set is in the Museum für Volkerkunde in Vienna. The 'Seven star' glaive is inscribed on its haft 'made by Yueli, West City, Triangle Market, Yanglong Alley'. Some of the originals were said to be datable back to the Sui dynasty (6th century AD), but since they appear to be lost, their real dates may never be known. They still provide a fascinating insight into the types of staff weapon in use in China during and before the Ming dynasty (1368-1642)." [....]
Cold Steel #95BTF *
* Royal Armouries Museum > Oriental Gallery
"Dragon spear (kunlong dao) Chinese, 19th century
This is called a glaive (dao) in Chinese reference works,
but is really a spear (chiang). It is a replica of one of
the ancient weapons formerly preserved in the Guangdong Arsenal." ...
"Carp halberd (liyu dao) Chinese, 19th century
This is a replica of one of the ancient weapons
held in the Guangdong Arsenal." ...
* Crow Collection of Asian Art
"Daoist Ritual Halberd China Qing dynasty (1644-1911), dated 1879 Bronze and wood ... Inscriptions:
岑聖宮 [Cen sheng gong] Censheng Palace 光緒五年 [Guangxu wu nian] Fifth year of Guangxu (1879)
沐恩弟子榮就父子公孫敬送 [Mu en di zi Rongjiu fu zi gong sun jing song] Rongjiu, father and son, granfather and grandson, the disciples receiving favors [from the gods], respectfully donated.
"This pair of Daoist ceremonial halberds was sponsored by Rongjiu and his children from a Manchu family. The specific location of Censheng Palace, the original provenance of the halberds, is unknown. There is a Censheng Palace built in the period of Qianlong (1736-1795) in present-day Jiangmen of Guangdong province. However, it is not known whether the halberds originated there. The halberds emerge from mouths of dragons and pierce conch shells. They serve as symbols of weapons for subduing demons. Meanwhile, the conches also serve as musical instruments to represent the renown of Daoist deities' words."
