Weaponry
During the early years of the
Ch'ing dynasty, the Banner cavalry relied primarily on mounted archery
and charging tactics. Beginning in the reign of the T'ai-tsung emperor
(1627-43), as the attentions of the Ch'ing military shifted to assaults
on walled cities and other fortifications, the army made increasing use
of excellent cannon. Thus, the first half of the Ch'ing dynasty saw the
mixed use of both traditional weaponry and firearms. However, by the 18th
century, the development of explosives stagnated and gradually fell behind
the military technology innovations of the West. The resulting technological
superiority of the European militaries was one of the key reasons for
the military debacles suffered by the Ch'ing in the 19th century.
Illustrations of Imperial Ritual
Items, presented in 1762 and revised in 1766, Ssu-k'u ch'üan-shu
edition.
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 Spear |
 Fowling piece |
 Hung-i cannon |
 Tzu-mu cannon |
