Chinese Polearms: The Guandao, Qiang, Ji and Fangtian Ji Explained
China's polearm tradition is older, longer and more varied than Europe's, and it produced the two most recognisable shafted weapons in the world: the guandao, with its heavy curved head, and the qiang spear with its red tassel. This guide covers the four types that matter, the generals and novels that made them famous, and what to look for if you want one on the wall.
The qiang: the king of weapons
The qiang is the Chinese spear, and Chinese martial tradition ranks it above the sword. A leaf-shaped head sits on a long, deliberately flexible shaft, usually of waxwood, with a horsehair tassel below the head. The tassel is not decoration: it was said to blur the point in an opponent's eye and to keep blood from running down the shaft and making the grip slick. Qiang range from about six to twelve feet historically. Ours are 78 inches, the practical length for a wall.
The ji: the Chinese halberd
The ji pairs a spear point with a crescent-shaped side blade set parallel to the shaft, and it is one of the oldest Chinese weapons, appearing in bronze in the Shang dynasty more than three thousand years ago. It is often called a halberd, but the European halberd's axe blade sits across the shaft, while the ji's crescent runs alongside it. The ji axe is the version that carries an axe blade rather than a crescent and sits halfway between the two traditions.
The fangtian ji: the twin crescent
The fangtian ji, the sky-piercing halberd, carries a crescent on both sides of the spear point, and it is the weapon of Lü Bu, the greatest warrior of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Whether Lü Bu's historical weapon looked like this is doubtful; the twin-crescent form seems to be a later, ceremonial and theatrical development. It does not matter. The fangtian ji is the most dramatic silhouette in the family and the one people recognise from opera and film.
The guandao: Guan Yu's blade
The guandao, also written kwan dao, is a heavy single-edged curved blade on a long shaft, usually with a spike at the butt and often a dragon motif where the blade meets the shaft. It takes its name from Guan Yu, the Three Kingdoms general later deified as a god of war, whose Green Dragon Crescent Blade the novel puts at 82 catties, roughly a hundred pounds. Real guandao are far lighter, and the form is best documented from the Song dynasty onward, where it served in the ranks and in military examinations that tested whether a candidate could wield a heavy one. Our guandao is 78 inches overall.
What to look for
Head
The head is the piece. On a guandao, look at the blade's curve and the transition where it meets the shaft; the better reproductions carry a dragon or cloud motif there because the originals did. On a ji or fangtian ji, check that the crescents are properly seated and symmetrical. Our heads are hand forged where they are made in 1095 high carbon or Damascus steel, and each listing states which.
Shaft and length
Full-size pieces run from 78 to 84 inches, taller than an interior door. A guandao head is heavy, so a horizontal wall mount needs its head-end hook into a stud. If the room cannot take the length, the 13 inch mini dao spear gives the guandao silhouette at desk scale.
Sets
The Han Dynasty three-piece set pairs a qiang with a dao and a jian, the sword and sabre that soldiers carried alongside the spear, and it is the quickest way to a coherent display.
The collection
All four types are in the Chinese polearms collection. The swords they were carried with are in Chinese swords, and the European and Japanese shafted weapons are gathered in polearms. Our Chinese halberd article goes deeper on the ji.
Frequently asked questions
What is a guandao?
A Chinese polearm with a heavy curved single-edged blade on a long shaft, named for the general Guan Yu. Also written kwan dao.
What is the difference between a ji and a halberd?
The Chinese ji sets a crescent blade parallel to the shaft beside a spear point. The European halberd sets an axe blade across the shaft. The fangtian ji has crescents on both sides.
Why does a Chinese spear have a tassel?
Tradition says it distracted the opponent and kept blood off the grip. It also marks the qiang as Chinese at a glance.
How heavy was Guan Yu's guandao?
The novel says 82 catties, about a hundred pounds. That is legend. Historical guandao weighed a fraction of that.
About the author
Owen Juarbal is Director of Marketing and head writer at Battling Blades. He has been with the company since 2021 and writes or reviews every guide the team publishes. Read more about Battling Blades.
