My Jian for interest

[kronckew]

Yellow was the Imperial colour.


I read somewhere that a lot of these were made for the armouries if fortified villages and towns for issue to civilians when needed.


Mine looks a bit less classy. Has the heavenly 7 stars brass insets on the blade tho.

[David R]

I remember seeing some old village armoury jian and they were forged all iron and steel blade, guard and pommel with laminated blades. Then I found the original site, here. https://forum.grtc.org/search.php?keywords=village+jian

[kronckew]

Not many photos on that site, Dave.


Could they possibly have been produced for the Boxers late 19/early 20c? They wouldn't have the time to learn the finesse that he longer imperial Jians required.

[David R]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Not many photos on that site, Dave.


Could they possibly have been produced for the Boxers late 19/early 20c? They wouldn't have the time to learn the finesse that he longer imperial Jians required.

Boxers tended to carry and use the Oxtail Dao rather than a Jian...
The problem with a lot of the sites I used to trawl is that they have changed format, don't link in the same way as they did, or even disappeared from the 'net!

Aha, this is a better link. https://forum.grtc.org/viewforum.php?f=15 To be honest, I am always wary about linking to other sites, I fear to trespass.

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by David R

Boxers tended to carry and use the Oxtail Dao rather than a Jian...
The problem with a lot of the sites I used to trawl is that they have changed format, don't link in the same way as they did, or even disappeared from the 'net!

Aha, this is a better link. https://forum.grtc.org/viewforum.php?f=15 To be honest, I am always wary about linking to other sites, I fear to trespass.

If I recall, fom historical images, the masses typically just carried crude clubs with fewer having cold steel at hand.

[David R]

Originally Posted by Gavin Nugent

If I recall, fom historical images, the masses typically just carried crude clubs with fewer having cold steel at hand.

Boxers, aka "Society of the Harmonious Fist" were members of a nationalist martial arts group, you are thinking of urban rioters. A lot to unpack in that era, and don't go by Western propaganda.

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by David R

Boxers, aka "Society of the Harmonious Fist" were members of a nationalist martial arts group, you are thinking of urban rioters. A lot to unpack in that era, and don't go by Western propaganda.

Absolutely.

I made the comment based on this historical photo.
https://www.thoughtco.com/chinas-box...-photos-195618

The book which the image is on the cover
https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520...boxer-uprising
It offers a very detailed history of the forces behind the scenes within various secret societies, how they developed and what ultimately played out...

[Philip]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Yellow was the Imperial colour.


I read somewhere that a lot of these were made for the armouries if fortified villages and towns for issue to civilians when needed.


Mine looks a bit less classy. Has the heavenly 7 stars brass insets on the blade tho.

Your example is a touristic item made in Taiwan, during the Vietnam War era. I saw some in a shop in Waikiki, of all places, with tiny paper labels "made in Taiwan" on them. They also had Thai dhas with aluminum ferrules and guards which were also brought back as souvenirs by GIs on R&R in Thailand. On these jian-like objects, the rustic wood carving is something I suppose is a simplistic and not-very-realistic interpretation of Taiwan aboriginal craft work because you don't find this sort of timber or style of deco on the scabbards of real antique jian.