Chinese Swords and Swordsmanship: Late Qing Jian

 Chinese Swords and Swordsmanship: Late Qing Jian

"This video looks at a typical late Qing Jian, a type that was made into the early Chinese Republic and is often seen in photos in manuals published during that period, including Taiji Sword by Chen Weiming. Judging from the number of jian of his form encountered today, it appear a fair large number of these were forged. This is perhaps why many today think this is typical Jian. While is a common form of late Qing Jian, is quite a departure from Jian of just 50 to 100 years earlier. This example has a blade length of 31 1/2”, 80 cm. And it is heavy, 2 lb 3 oz, 992 g. The guard is also wider than was typical for earlier Jian. It also has a wooden scabbard that is clad in metal. A feature that is extremely rare for Chinese swords. This feature is most likely a European influence as Chinese was importing European style military sabers for the New Army based in Tianjin and these had metal scabbards. In video this Rodell laoshi discusses why these late Jian differ from earlier examples as well as how it handles from the practitioner’s point of view." 

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