Subject: hiya / qinjun ying imperial guard
Culture: Sino-Manchurian
Setting: Qing empire, China 18th-19thc
Evolution:
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
"The imperial guard system is a unique military and political system of the Qing Dynasty, and its origin can be traced back to the period of Nurhaci before the Qing Dynasty entered the Shanhai Pass. During this period, Nurhaci established his own army through his family and tribal warriors. These personal troops were not only military forces, but also a symbol of political power.
"[....] As the power of the Qing Dynasty continued to expand, the guard system gradually improved and developed. After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the guard system became an important part of the Qing Dynasty regime. The guards were not only the emperor's personal bodyguards, but also the emperor's confidants and assistants. They were responsible for protecting the emperor's safety, and also participated in political decision-making, playing an important role in the political stability and development of the Qing Dynasty.
"The imperial guards of the Qing Dynasty were divided into two types: inner guards and outer guards. The inner guards were mainly responsible for the daily life and safety of the emperor, and they were usually composed of the emperor's confidants and family members. The outer guards were mainly responsible for the safety and guarding of the palace, and they were usually composed of elites in the army. Both inner guards and outer guards were strictly selected and trained, and had superb martial arts and loyalty.
"The imperial guard system also underwent some changes and adjustments during the development of the Qing Dynasty. For example, in the early Qing Dynasty, the selection of imperial guards mainly depended on family and tribal relations, but with the stability and development of the Qing regime, the selection criteria gradually became more stringent and fair. At the same time, the duties and powers of imperial guards were also constantly expanding. They not only participated in political decision-making, but also participated in military command and local management.
"In general, the imperial guard system is an important part of the Qing Dynasty regime. It not only reflects the military strength of the Qing Dynasty, but also reflects the political wisdom of the Qing Dynasty. Through the imperial guard system, the Qing Dynasty successfully maintained the stability of the regime and promoted the development of society. However, with the decline of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial guard system gradually lost its original role and significance and became a part of history.
"During the Shunzhi reign , the Qing court began to reform the imperial guard system. The Shunzhi Emperor believed that the imperial guards were not only the emperor's personal bodyguards, but also his confidants and assistants. Therefore, the selection and management of imperial guards must be more strict and standardized. Therefore, the Shunzhi Emperor ordered the establishment of the " Imperial Guard Office", which was specifically responsible for the selection, training and management of imperial guards. The establishment of the Imperial Guard Office marked the formal establishment of the imperial guard system of the Qing court.
"During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the guard system was further developed and improved. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, a series of reforms and adjustments were made to the guard system. First, Emperor Kangxi expanded the scope of selection of guards, no longer limited to the royal family and nobles, but selected outstanding talents from the entire society. This reform not only improved the overall quality of the guards, but also provided more talents with the opportunity to show themselves.
"Secondly, Emperor Kangxi strengthened the training and management of the guards. The Guard Department was not only responsible for selecting the guards, but also for conducting strict training and assessment of the guards. The guards needed to receive training in martial arts, etiquette, law and other aspects to ensure that they were competent for their duties. At the same time, the Guard Department also formulated a series of rules and regulations to regulate and constrain the behavior of the guards in order to maintain the safety and stability of the palace.
"In addition, Emperor Kangxi also gave the guards more responsibilities and powers. The guards were not only the emperor's personal bodyguards, but also participated in political decision-making, military command, and local management. With the emperor's authorization, the guards could exercise certain powers on behalf of the emperor and supervise and manage local officials. This reform not only improved the status and role of the guards, but also made important contributions to the political stability and development of the Qing Dynasty.
"The establishment of the Imperial Guard Office and the standardization of the Imperial Guard system played an important role in the political stability and development of the Qing Dynasty. As the emperor's confidants and assistants, the Imperial Guards not only protected the emperor's safety, but also participated in political decision-making and management, playing a positive role in promoting the political stability and development of the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, the standardization of the Imperial Guard system also improved the overall quality and ability of the Imperial Guards, providing strong support for the military and political construction of the Qing Dynasty."
* Heath/Perry 1994 p12
"The nucleus of the Banner army was the six divisions based in the capital, comprising the Imperial Bodyguard (Ch'in-chün ying), the Vanguard Division (Ch'ien-feng ying) the Flank Division (Hu-chün ying), the Light Division (Ch'ien-jui ying), the Firearms Division (Huo-ch'i ying) and the Paid Force (Hsiao-ch'i ying). The Imperial Bodyguard -- a cavalry force of nearly 3,000 men -- was more a ceremonial unit than a functional one."
"The Imperial Guards were the armed forces of the Qing Dynasty that were specifically responsible for protecting the emperor and the palace. They not only had to maintain the safety of the palace, but were also responsible for the emperor's daily life and travel, and even participated in some important ceremonies and activities. It can be said that their identity was a symbol of imperial power and was directly related to the emperor's safety and authority.
"The selection of the imperial guards was very strict. They were usually elites selected from the army. They were strong and skilled in martial arts. As you can imagine, they were all strong and muscular standing beside the emperor, giving people a strong sense of security. However, behind the seemingly loyal guards were many unknown stories.
"... In the late Qing Dynasty, the power struggle was extremely fierce. As the emperor's close bodyguards, the imperial guards were naturally involved in this vortex of power. In many cases, they were not only protectors, but also participants in the power struggle. For example, during the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi, the guards were often used to suppress political opponents and even participated in coups.
"In order to please the emperor, some guards actively participated in the power struggle and even betrayed their colleagues. At this time, the loyalty of the guards became particularly complicated. They held swords and guns in their hands and could serve themselves or a powerful person at any time, which made their identities even more confusing."
* Elliott 2001 p81
"Another elite group within the Eight Banners was the imperial guard. There were three such corps: the Guard, the Vanguard, and the Imperial Bodyguard, in ascending order of exclusivity, pay, and prestige. All were Manchu institutions tracing their origins to before 1644. Soldiers from the regular Manchu and Mongol banners could aspire to join the Guard (hujun ying/bayara), which was assigned to protect the palace. The Vanguard (qianfeng ying/gabsihiyan) was also made up of Manchus and Mongols, but with only about fifteen hundred men, it was just one-tenth the size of the Guard. When the emperor left the palace, the Vanguard led the way, as it did also in battle. The most elite guard unit was the Imperial Bodyguard (lingshiwei or qinjun ying/hiya), which followed the emperor everywhere. Members of the Imperial Bodyguard were drawn only from the Manchu banners, and primarily from the Upper Three Banners (there was, however, a separate Chinese bodyguard). About the same in number as the Vanguard, to the Imperial Bodyguard fell the job of protecting the emperor's safety at all times, within and without the palace." ...
Armor
* 5000 years of Chinese costumes 1988 p200 f8
"Original nomadic [sic], the Manchu people paid special attention to the skills of riding and archery. The jacket for the Qing warrior, like other jackets then in vogue, also had sleeves in the shape of a horse-shoe. However, with the appearance of guns, artillery, and warships, the drastic changes in modern warfare rendered the traditional armour useless. Although the Qing military officers still wore armour when they were in action, it served no other purpose than that of military insignia and was no protection against modern weapons. Compared with the armour of the Tang and the Song Dynasty, that of the Qing was less significant.
"The helmet of the Qing officer, whether made of steel or leather, was covered with a coat of paint. It was decorated with a hawk's feather, and otter's tail or a red flag, in accordance with the rank of the wearer. In general, the armour worn by military officials was made of silk stuffed with cotton. It was also adorned with studs and all sorts of embroidered designs showing the wearer's rank, and had shoulder-plates, armpit-plates and chest-plates, which were attached to the armour with buttons."
* Anawalt 2007 p169
"... Qing parade armor did not appear until after the conquest. At that time, the Manchu adopted Chinese-style brigandine armor constructed of overlapping metal plates covered with padded textiles."
* Silks for thrones and altars p76-78 (John E Vollmer)
"Surviving evidence suggests that Manchu military uniforms were identical to their riding costumes with added coats of chain mail. Dress or parade armor did not appear until after the conquest. ... Ceremonial armor worn by guards at the Forbidden City and high-ranking members of the imperial household, including the emperor, was derived from Ming dynasty prototypes and featured metal plates covered with luxury silks and gilt brass fittings."
* Robinson 1967 p148-149
"The usual form taken by these armours is a basic jacket, with or without sleeves; an underskirt, like a divided apron, of ankle length; and a pair of high boots. Over the jacket are buttoned, or fastened with cords and buckles, certain reinforces, such as semicircular shoulderpieces , deep crescent-shaped gussets beneath the arms, and rectangular pieces below these and across the front opening over the privates. In some, the sleeves are dispensed with or built up of hundreds of narrow horizontal splints attached to fabric, which can be fastened to the shoulders by buttons or strap and buckle in a similar manner to the kote of Japanese armour. Sometimes, splinted 'vambraces' are provided to tie round the forearm. Each of these sections is lined with its rows of plates, and in several instances some external reinforces are applied, such as circular silvered copper mirrors on breast and back, or a border of three or four overlapping splints on the upper edges of the shoulderpieces. These metal fittings are frequently gilded or, on armours of high court officials, of copper gilt, pierced and engraved, principally with designs of dragons. The divided skirts of horsemen's armours have rows of exposed narrow lamellae secured by rivets within a broad frame of fabric. ...
"Armours dating from the K'ien-lung period (1736-95) at Chicago, amongst the earliest known in the Western hemisphere, have portions which are studded, but not backed by plates. This was the beginning of the end for armour in China and shows that it was fast becoming a uniform and little else. Several military court officials' uniforms in Britain, such as that in the Wallace Collection, are made of rich blue and gold brocade, woven in a conventional scale pattern, and carry an external powdering of gilt nail-heads, but no internal plates. The helmets are silvered copper with applied fittings of pierced and engraved copper-gilt, sometimes set with corals and turquoise. Dragons and waves dominate the theme of decoration. Crests of red hair, stiff tails of sable-like bulrushes, feathers and netting are mounted in a slender crest-tube surmounting the crown -- a decadent form never seen on real Chinese helmets. [CONTRA Alexander/Mason 1998 p68] Anciently, a tassel of yak or pony hair dyed red, or a spray of feathers, would be the limit of helmet ornament."
* Hua 2010 p73-74
"The Qing Dynasty armor suits were divided into coat of mail and a weishang. On each shoulder of the coat of mail, there was a protective shoulder pad, with an armpit guard underneath. In addition, metal chest plates were attached on front and back, with a trapezoid-shaped chest protector. The left side of the body was protected, while ther right remained open for carrying bow and arrows. The double width weishang was used to protect the sides, fastened around the waist when needed. Helmets, whether made of iron or cattle hide, were painted. On all four sides of the helmet, there were vertical ridges, a brow protector and metal tubing for attaching the decorative feather, tassel or animal fur. A protective silk collar for shielding the neck and the ears, decorated with fine embroidery and metal tacks." [SIC]
* Stone 1934 p57
"The best and most characteristic Chinese suits have always been brigandine, made of two thicknesses of cloth with small iron plates between them. This was frequently reinforced by round metal plates on the breast, back and knees. The helmets were of steel with neck guards of brigandine like the body armor. These suits had leg pieces like those shown for riding and large divided skirts of jazeraint for fighting on foot. ... Later the entire suits were made of padded cloth with gilt rivets; the only actual armor being the helmet, the round metal plates on the back and breast and the huge and elaborate shoulder guards were larger and contained more metal than the later. [sic]"
* Heath/Perry 1994 p43 (reconstructing a Banner cavalryman in armour, Taiping Rebellion 1851-66)
"Armour was still worn by some Bannermen and most officers, more as a military insignia than a form of defence. It consisted of decoratively embroidered quilted cotton silk (silk for officers), reinforced with iron or brass studs. It was called ting kia or 'armour with nails', and occasionally still incorporated a lining of small metal plates. Among Banner cavalrymen the colour of the quilted fabric was uniform within a unit. Helmets were of steel or leather, often painted or otherwise decorated, with a tall plume tube that usually bore a tuft of red horsehair or a small red flag."
* Alexander/Mason 1988 p68 (writing in 1793)
"This dress of the troops is extremely clumsy, inconvenient, and inimical to the performance of military exercises, yet a battalion thus equipped has, at some distance, a splendid and even warlike appearance; but on closer inspection these coats of mail are found to be nothing more than quilted nankeen, enriched with thin plates of metal, surrounded with studs, which gives the tout-ensemble very much the appearance of armour.
"From the crown of the helmet (which is the only part that is iron) issues a spear, inclosed with a tassel of dyed horse-hair. The characters on the breast-plate, denote the corps to which he belongs; and the box which is worn in front, serves to contain heads of arrows, bowstrings, &c. &c. The lower part of the bow is inclosed in a sheath or case."
* Traditional Chinese costumes 2002 p37 caption
"Dress of a military officer of the Qing dynasty. The helmet is made of silk fabric, and the armor is decorated with cooper nails. The detachable collar, neckplate and helmet earflaps are embroidered with patterns. Except for two metal plates to protect the chest and the back, the dress has no plates."
* Peers 2006 p232 caption (describing a 19th-century armour for a Manchu Imperial Guardsman)
"By this date such armour was worn mainly for ceremonial purposes; the iron plates were generally omitted, and the studs were retained purely for show."
* Heath 1998 p62
"ARMOURED BANNERMAN 1800-1900 A considerable number of such armours preserved in the Palace Museum in Peking owe their survival to the fact that they were stored in the Forbidden City between parades. They are in the colours of the men's respective Banners (yellow, yellow edged in red, white, white edged in red, red, red edged in white, blue, and blue edged in red), with brass studs, and black-laquered, red-plumed leather helmets. Beyond suffering from wear and tear, there is no reason to suppose that campaign armours differed in any significant way. Timkowski (1820-21) says that when he saw them, Banner cavalrymen in Peking were still carrying bamboo wicker shields in addition."
Archery
* Stone 1934 p134
"The Chinese bows are more complicated [than Korean bows]. The frame is a piece of bamboo with pieces of a deciduous wood glued on at the handle ends and sharp bends near the ends. Horn is then glued on the belly. A single piece for the length of the bow for the finer ones; and two meeting at the handle for the others. The back has sinew glued on it. The ends and handle are covered with leather or shark skin which goes entirely around the bow. The back only of the parts between is covered with a thin layer of bark which is frequently decorated. Narrow blocks are glued and doweled on the belly of the bow about nine inches from each end; the string bears on these when the bow is not in use. Many of the handles are covered with cork.
"The Chinese bows are large and powerful. Amiot says ... that the bows made for the army were made of four sizes, 70, 80, 90, and 100 pounds pull. Larger ones were made for exceptional men, or for parade. Bows of 150 pounds are by no means rare in China. The arrows used at the siege of the Legations in 1900 are 3 feet 5.5 inches long and 7/16 of an inch in diameter with heavy socketed steel heads. Some of the whistling arrows are 4 feet 2 inches long with heads four inches in diameter and six inches long. The bows that I saw in Peking that were used with such arrows were huge, about six feet long strung, with a cross section at the handle of nearly two square inches. They were said to have a pull of about 200 pounds and looked it."
* Bennett 2018 p41-42
"As in the rest of Asia, these same constructional principles continued to underpin the production of Chinese bows (gong) until the end of their regular use as weapons in the 20th century, although adaptation and refinement did occur. The large bows disseminated across the Qing Empire by the Manchus still incorporated wood, horn and sinew as their main components; they provide a good demonstration of this long adherence to established materials and technique on the parts of bowyers in China and Central Asia.
"In a typical Chinese bow, a wooden or bamboo core (often several shaped sections spliced together) is reinforced on the belly (side facing towards the archer) with horn which resists compression, and supported on the back (side facing away from the archer, towards the target) with flexible sinew which snaps back to a non-extended state after release. The layers are joined together with a strong adhesive, often a combination of animal glue made from boiled animal hides and other tissues, and isinglass made from the swim bladders of fish. The glue is reinforced by wrapping the structure in silk. A layer of flexible birch bark is often applied over the top to act as a barrier against damage, before the bow is painted and lacquered to guard against the ravages of inclement weather and humidity."
Guns
"They carry swords, darts, and firearms with them. Especially during the Guangxu period, they must be proficient in using firearms and be ready at any time."
Sabers (LiuYe, YanMao)
* Alexander/Mason 1988 p132 (writing in 1793)
"Their scymeters, though rudely formed, are said to equal the best from Spain."
* Bennett 2018 p74-75
"During the Qing dynasty, the dao continued to feature strongly. Large numbers were manufactured for issue to government troops, as they were distributed to ranks within the Banners and the enormous standing force provided by the Green Standard Army. Standardisation became more evident, at least in terms of the appearance of the sheathed sword. Officers were required to adhere to regulations about the materials, size, and ornamentation of their swords, which were often on full view when on parade, slung from the belt alongside their bow case. As a consequence of this, the fittings for a lot of dao from this period tend to suggest a level of conformity. The single-edged blades could vary in shape and curvature according to preference."
* Tom/Rodell 2005 p77
"The saber is perhaps the most important member of the dao family. It completely replaced the double-edged jian in the military by the mid-Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) [CONTRA Ho/Bronson 2004 p110], and it has been used in virtually all systems of Chinese weapons combat until the present day. The pei dao also held a revered position in the regalia of nobility and military officialdom during the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty, which reigned from 1644-1911."
* Ho/Bronson 2004 p111
"[T]he [Qianlong] emperor appears to have been quite fond of non-traditional curved sabers of the Indian and Middle Eastern type, often furnished with jade hilts carved in the Indian Mughal style. Some were imitations made in the imperial armory in Beijing."
* Ho/Bronson 2004 p114 f127
"Qianlong ordered a total of sixty ceremonial curved swords on five occasions, in 1748, 1757, 1779, 1793, and 1795. Each sword was named and numbered, and all were identical in length, weight, and basic design. The scabbards were made either of red or green stingray skin and or patterned bark. The swords differed in terms of their inlaid details and the style of the hilts. Hilts made after completion of the 1757 batch were mostly in Mughal style, often with gold and inlaid gems."
* Zhang 2009 p18
"Dao were used not only for fighting but also to signify a bearer's rank and class. Strict and detailed rules dictated the type of dao and decorations that could be worn by people of differing ranks. .... [A] sharp edge on the back of the head of the sword was a common feature of dao during this time."
Crop
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Boots
* 5000 years of Chinese costumes 1988 p173
"The men of the Qing Dynasty wore shoes to match their ordinary clothes, but they changed into boots when wearing their official costume. Boots were chiefly made of black satin. The square toes which had been popular in the beginning were later replaced by pointed toes, although court etiquette still prescribed the wearing of square-toe boots. There were also ya feng boots worn by high-ranking officials and the light pa shan hu boots worn by military officers and officers of the law."
