The surging news learned that the "Treasure Sword Immortal Ancient Chinese Knife Special Exhibition" recently opened at the Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum. Starting from the two clues of tools and weapons, the exhibition exhibits 110 pieces (sets) of ancient Chinese swords spanning 5,000 years, from the bronze boot-shaped cymbals (square blades) of the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the first knife of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the double knife of Song Yanyue to the iron long knife of the Qing Dynasty, through the exhibition to analyze the development and changes of ancient knives, and reproduce the classic battles of ancient turmoil.
Exhibition site
The knife is a single-sided cutting instrument used to cut, cut, cut, and cut, which is a genus of sharp weapons. In China, it has existed since the Stone Age at the beginning of Hongmeng and is still indispensable in various fields today.
The ancients said, "If you cook a small fresh country to rule a big country", and the knife is a sharp weapon that is inseparable from all aspects from cooking small fresh and large to ruling a big country, and it is a vivid footnote to the process of civilization.
As social history progressed, at both ends of the blade, a double-sided pair of tools and weapons was formed.
Jade knife Spring and Autumn to Han
This "Treasure Knife Immortal Ancient Chinese Knife Special Exhibition" exhibits 110 pieces (sets) of ancient Chinese knives collected by the Chinese Knife and Scissors Museum, and the exhibits span more than 5,000 years, from the Neolithic Era to the late Qing Dynasty, including the entire history of ancient Chinese civilization. The exhibition content starts from the two clues of tools and weapons, showing the manufacture and use of ancient knives in different fields, and analyzing the background and social conditions of the development of ancient knives. Especially in the weapons section, four ancient classic battles will be reviewed, and under the leadership of Wei Qing, Huo Zhiyi, Liu Kun, Qi Jiguang and other famous generals, we will have a bird's eye view of the ancient battlefield and explore the true strength of the ancient battle knife.
Exhibition site
Key exhibits
Bronze boot-shaped cymbal (square blade) Spring and Autumn Warring States Width 16cm Height 12.5cm
It is a typical instrument in the ancient Yue culture. The shape of the cymbal is like a boot, and the rectangular brass is located on one side. One side of the body is cast with a border, and the embossed ornamentation inside the frame cannot distinguish the specific content due to abrasion. On the other side, there are two birds facing each other in the middle, with their necks extended and their wings outstretched, vividly.
Tablet knife Late Qing Length 25cm width 18cm
At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Hangzhou's time-honored brand "Li Deshun" pill knife. The body of the knife has the inscription "Pipa Street MingJi Li Deshun Yiyuan Lujiao Split". The tablet knife is a cutting knife prepared by traditional Chinese medicine, with a flat and wide body and similar trapezoidal shape. On the opposite side of the hilt there is a small bump on the edge of the blade, perforated in the middle, which is used to attach the knife to the cutting stool. The blade is located on the opposite side perpendicular to the shank and is the longest side of the body quadrilateral. The wooden handle is curved outward and used in a manner similar to a cutter. The preparation of traditional Chinese medicine requires high precision, such as the thickness of "thin slices" required to be below 1.5 mm, whether it is the quality of the cutting knife or the skill of the cutting person.
Ring head knife Eastern Han Dynasty Length 92cm width 5.5cm
Ring Head Knife Eastern Han Dynasty (Partial)
Ring Head Knife Eastern Han Dynasty (Partial)
This is a high-grade ring first knife in the Eastern Han Dynasty, which has been restored. The back and blade of the knife are straight, the iron stem is about the same width as the body, and the shank ring is flat and round. The back of the knife and the inside of the knife ring are decorated with gilded inscriptions and beast ornaments, and the inscriptions can be roughly recognized as "May of the second year of Yanguang" and "Jiyang Le weiyang", etc., and the lines are delicate and flexible. On the knife, the remaining texture of the wooden sheath can still be faintly recognized.
YiGuro dragon swallowing mouth Yanyue double knife Song (single knife) length 80cm and width 30cm
Yanyue knife belongs to the long rod knife, in the Song Dynasty is a kind of standard weapon knife, its knife head part is shaped like a crescent moon, so it is named "cover / Yanyue". This kind of knife is often decorated, the shape is quite gorgeous, and it is often used for honor and practice. There are also a variety of "variants" of the shape of the blade of the crescent moon knife, the pair of crescent knives on display is the iron tip part of the long-rod knife, the knife body is flat and wide, the knife head is curled like a hook, similar to the "phoenix-billed knife" and "elephant trunk knife" in the yanyue knife class, and there is a pointed tooth-like twig at the front of the back of the knife, and there is a perforation at the fork, which can be tied to a hanging ornament. The knife body and the stem are connected with a copper dragon head swallow, which is exquisite and lifelike.
Cut-out silver piercing branch dragon belly knife Ming length 85.5cm width 3cm
Cut-out silver piercing branch dragon belly knife Ming length 85.5cm width 3cm
Ming Dynasty waist knife, the body of the knife with a certain curvature, there is a blood groove. The root of the knife is attached to the swallow, the knife grid is disc-shaped, and the surface is hollowed out with a silver piercing dragon pattern. The ming waist knife absorbs some of the characteristics of the knife, the handle is short and curved, relatively light, and it is mostly used with rattan cards. In the Ming Dynasty, there were "Great Seven Stars Card Song" and "Shining Horse Card Song" that trained rattan cards and waist knife action essentials. In the late Ming Dynasty, in order to deal with the northern nomadic cavalry, the waist knife was generally equipped with Ming cavalry, infantry, vehicle soldiers, and heavy soldiers.
The Iron Long Knife of the Bureau of Munitions Qing Guangxu Length 151cm Width 10cm
Long-rod knife, the body of the knife is straight and flat, the knife is sharp and sharp, the blade is connected to the blade in an arc under the blade, and there is a blood groove near the back of the knife. On the side of the knife body, the words "Made by the Arms Bureau" are engraved in a single line near the knife grid and under the blood groove. The knife grid disc shape and the cap shaped handle head are made of brass. Long wooden handles are wrapped around them. During the Qing Guangxu period, the Arms Bureau was a subordinate organization of the Shenji Battalion, which was founded in the eleventh year of Qing Xianfeng (1861), after the Second Opium War, in order to rectify the military, the Qing government set up this institution, and in the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867), the Shenji Battalion was added to the Arms Bureau.
Ivory paper knife Republic of China
Paper knife with inscription Republic of China
Exhibition posters
(This article is based on the relevant materials of Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum)
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