I'm very curious about the Chinese use of shields.

Now, I know when a general question is asked, people usually ask the asker to narrow things down to period, but this I cannot do as I know so little. I would very much like a good overview of Chinese shields and anything the forum can tell me about their use. All periods welcome.

Hello all!

George,
Sorry it took so long for me to respond to this, but I've been busy with other things! I did manage to do some research regarding Chinese shields, and this is what I found:

Donald Featherstone wrote:

(In China about 600 AD) Shields were carried, rectangular for infantry and circular for cavalry, and were highly laqcuered and decorated.

(From Warriors, Weapons, and Warfare in Ancient and Medieval Times)

I would take Featherstone with a grain of salt, some of his information is old and outdated, but it seems to match what I found elsewhere.

George Cameron Stone, in his massive glossary of arms and armor, showed a photo (poor quality, unfortunately) of a round, domed, Chinese shield of the 17th century. It is of wood,and has a diameter of 26.5 in. It is painted with ships, fish, and islands in coloured lac. The inside not only includes the arm straps, but has a shelf top and bottom that distributes the weight over the entire forearm.

This is what Stone's entry about shields said about Chinese shields:

George Cameron Stone wrote:

In China large, round, convex shields were very general. Some are of wood lacquered and painted, and others are of cane covered with cloth. A favorite design is a tiger's or monster's head that covers the entire shield.

(From A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in all Countries and in all Times)

One figure in the colour plates in Warriors and Weapons 3000 BC to AD 1700 in Colour by Niels M. Saxtorph depicts an infantryman of the Han dynasty (first century AD) with a rather strangely shaped shield. It's roughly rectangular in outline, but is bent into an unusual shallow "M" or "W" shape (depending on how you look at it). It's bent outward in the middle, and then slopes back until it then curves gently outward again. The author states that it may have been an appropriate defence against cavalrymen.

Sorry I couldn't find more, but I hope this helps! It sounds as though the Chinese adopted a certain shield design or two, and stuck with them. They could be a very conservative culture, after all!

Stay safe!

Richard

George

Here are some pics of chinese shields I have managed to find mostly through searching for images via Google or via this forum: http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/

Sorry I don't have any information to offer with the pics.

Danny

---

 Attachment: 121.32 KB



 Attachment: 87.27 KB



 Attachment: 91.32 KB



 Attachment: 88.29 KB
[ Download ]

George

Some info from "Oriental Armour by H. Russell Robinson"

Kie tun
A Chinese shield used in a chariot

Lang ya pai
A large Chinese shield made of elm used in sieges

Li p'ai
A chinese shield of bamboo or wood used in siege warfare

Mu lo
A chinese shield made of boards (feng pien)

P'ang p'ai
A Chinese circular red lacquered cavalry shield used in south china

Pei k'uei
A chinese round shield of red lacquered hide

Piao ch'iang
A chinese infantry shield of cowhide about eight feet long used in south China

Po
A large Chinese circular convex cane shield generally painted with a convential tiger's face and carried by infantry.

Pu tun
A chinese long narrow infantry shield

Si tun
A chinese shield made from rhinoceros hide

Sü tun
A tall chinese shield originating in the country of the Shu (Sze-ch'uan)

Wu k'uei
A large flat chinese shield "Generals of Wu".

---

 Attachment: 121.28 KB

George,

Weapons in Ancient China, (Yang Hong, Science Press, Beijing, 1992, ISBN 1-880132-03-6), has some good info on Chinese use of shields from the Stone Age on. There is far too much info to list here, but entries include:

Stone Age: A rectangular shield of rattan, 39 cm high (image on page 25)

Shang dynasty: most are thought to have been rectangular, made of painted leather on a wood frame (p. 62-3)

Western Zhou dynasty: no complete specimens had then been found. Discussion concerns metal shield ornaments, which often retain traces of paint on the edges. (p. 87)

Eastern Zhou dynasty: "only lacquered leather or wooden shields have so far been obtained from archeological excavations." A description of two states that they are roughly rectangular with a slightly arched lower edge, with a double concave shape to the upper edge, and a central ridge. One measures 62.5 cm and the other 63.8 cm high. It is noted that these two represent the basic shape of Eastern Zhou shields, and that the shape continued into the Qin dynasty, which ended in 206 BCE. (p. 116-120, 1 image on p. 120).

Information includes entries on shields all the way through the Song dynasty, which ended in 1279 CE. There are some good photos of statues of warrior figures, showing the shape and relative size of the shields from various periods.

It's a good book for information on Chinese weapons and armor, as well as shields. Highly recommended.

Melanie