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Originally Posted by Philip
The blade doesn't look Chinese at all to me. The almost universal characteristic of the fullering on Chinese curved single-edged blades (sabers and the like) is that they begin a short distance ahead of the guard. The forte thus being flat, giving the blade a wedge shaped section in that area. This flat area may be just plain, or it may be fitted for a tunkou or a metal sleeve usually with a scalloped profile. A fuller that runs all the way back to the shoulders of the blade at the junction of the tang is not in keeping with the tradition.
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Here's a pic to show what I'm talking about. Here are 3 Chinese saber blades of "willow leaf" type, narrow and with curvature through most of length. The important thing is where the fullering ends. You'll note that the grooves don't run back to the guard. Even simple uni-channel designs all end a similar distance ahead of the guard.