Chinese Polearms

Chinese military tradition ranked the spear as the king of weapons, and the polearm family that grew around it is one of the richest anywhere. The qiang is the spear itself: a leaf-shaped head, often with a red tassel below it, on a long flexible shaft. The ji is the Chinese halberd, a spear point paired with one or two crescent blades, and the fangtian ji with its twin crescents is the form associated with the warlord Lü Bu. The guandao, also written kwan dao, is the heavy curved blade on a long shaft named for the general Guan Yu, whose weapon in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was said to weigh over eighty pounds.

Where a piece here is made in 1095 high carbon or Damascus steel, it is hand forged. Steel, shaft length and head dimensions are stated on each listing.

Choosing a Chinese polearm

Type

The qiang is the simplest and the most elegant, a spear head on a shaft. The ji and fangtian ji add crescent blades and read unmistakably as Chinese on a wall. The guandao is the largest and heaviest head of the group and is the one most people recognise from film and opera. The ji axe carries an axe blade rather than a crescent and sits between the ji and a European halberd.

Length

Full-size pieces run from 78 to 84 inches overall, which is taller than most doorways. Measure the wall or the corner before ordering. The 13 inch mini dao spear is a desk-scale display piece for the same shape at a fraction of the size, and the Han Dynasty three piece set pairs a qiang with a dao and a jian.

Display

A polearm this long is usually displayed horizontally on a pair of wall hooks or upright in a corner stand. The head is the weight, so a wall mount needs a fixing into a stud at the head end.

The parent polearms collection holds the European and Japanese shafted weapons, the Chinese swords collection has the dao and jian these were carried alongside, and the Chinese halberd article goes deeper on the ji.

Frequently asked questions

What is a guandao?
A guandao, or kwan dao, is a Chinese polearm with a heavy curved single-edged blade on a long shaft, usually with a spike at the butt end. It is named for Guan Yu, a general of the Three Kingdoms period later worshipped as a god of war.

What is the difference between a ji and a halberd?
Both pair a spear point with a side blade on a long shaft. The Chinese ji uses a crescent blade set parallel to the shaft, while the European halberd uses an axe blade set across it. The fangtian ji has crescents on both sides.

What is a qiang?
The qiang is the Chinese spear, traditionally with a leaf-shaped head and a tassel below it on a flexible shaft. It was regarded as the foundation weapon of Chinese martial training.

How tall are these?
Full-size pieces run from 78 to 84 inches overall. Each listing gives the exact length.

Can the heads be engraved?
Yes. Engraving and etching are done in our Illinois workshop. See the options on each listing.