"Ratio" of weapons of "civilian" S.Chinese... ?

KuKulzA28 · 14th January 2011, 05:38 AM

Good points!

Was one of those provinces Shandong? That place was historically full of banditry and violence, and the region has birthed many effective fighting styles - such as Mantis Boxing. The current day combat-effectiveness of many of those practitioners is debatable, but that's due to many factors and an entirely different discussion. But your point is pretty intriguing. Do you have an ISBN or a specific vendor you know that I can get the book from? If not I'll search.

Taiwan was definitely a pretty violent "frontier" for centuries... I know that many Taiwanese were better-armed compared to counterparts in more "peaceful" (relatively) parts of China... but that was probably more out of necessity than cultural preference. Weapons over agricultural improvements, eh? No doubt you need to to survive before you can thrive.

aiontay · 14th January 2011, 12:52 PM

I don't think Shandong was one of the provinces, although it may have gotten some mention. I bought that book over twenty years ago and loaned it out probably over ten years ago, so I would have to look it up myself. Sorry.

I do have "The White Rajahs of Sarawak" by Robert Payne, which likely isn't the most scholarly work on the Brookes, but was looking through it last night specifically for any details about the Chinese rebellion against James Brooke. It mentions the Chinese were buying guns from gun runners and they were heavily armed with spears and muskets during the fighting, so it looks like in frontier conditions, firearms were pretty popular with Chinese civilians.

Bill M · 14th January 2011, 02:37 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji_Xiao...Duck_Formation

Neil · 14th January 2011, 03:12 PM

I just looked up "Rebels and Revolutionaries in Northern China" on Amazon and it was very reasonably priced. I was also recommended "Rebellion and Its Enemies in Late Imperial China: Militarization and Social Structure, 1796-1864" by Philip Kuhn in relation to the use of village militias in warfare. That is also available on Amazon. I'm hoping both of these will help enhance my studies in 19th century Chinese swords.

KuKulzA28 · 14th January 2011, 04:33 PM

Thanks for all the pointers so far! I'll check those books out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I'm hoping both of these will help enhance my studies in 19th century Chinese swords.

And I'm hoping these'll help me know more about my ancestors! Thanks for contributing to this thread.

14th January 2011, 05:38 AM	#1
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	Good points! Was one of those provinces Shandong? That place was historically full of banditry and violence, and the region has birthed many effective fighting styles - such as Mantis Boxing. The current day combat-effectiveness of many of those practitioners is debatable, but that's due to many factors and an entirely different discussion. But your point is pretty intriguing. Do you have an ISBN or a specific vendor you know that I can get the book from? If not I'll search. Taiwan was definitely a pretty violent "frontier" for centuries... I know that many Taiwanese were better-armed compared to counterparts in more "peaceful" (relatively) parts of China... but that was probably more out of necessity than cultural preference. Weapons over agricultural improvements, eh? No doubt you need to to survive before you can thrive.

14th January 2011, 12:52 PM	#2
aiontay Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 88	I don't think Shandong was one of the provinces, although it may have gotten some mention. I bought that book over twenty years ago and loaned it out probably over ten years ago, so I would have to look it up myself. Sorry. I do have "The White Rajahs of Sarawak" by Robert Payne, which likely isn't the most scholarly work on the Brookes, but was looking through it last night specifically for any details about the Chinese rebellion against James Brooke. It mentions the Chinese were buying guns from gun runners and they were heavily armed with spears and muskets during the fighting, so it looks like in frontier conditions, firearms were pretty popular with Chinese civilians.

14th January 2011, 02:37 PM	#3
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji_Xiao...Duck_Formation

14th January 2011, 03:12 PM	#4
Neil Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 114	I just looked up "Rebels and Revolutionaries in Northern China" on Amazon and it was very reasonably priced. I was also recommended "Rebellion and Its Enemies in Late Imperial China: Militarization and Social Structure, 1796-1864" by Philip Kuhn in relation to the use of village militias in warfare. That is also available on Amazon. I'm hoping both of these will help enhance my studies in 19th century Chinese swords.