China has been known for its martial arts. Some martial arts use swords or sabres. There are two kinds of antique Chinese swords, jian and Dao.
Jian sword is a straight sword that has been around for more than three thousand years. Newly created Jians are longer than their ancient counterparts, which are usually made of bronze. It was sonly a couple of millennia ago that the bronze material was replace by a sturdier and stronger combination of iron and steel. Jian became so popular from the Ming dynasty which flourished from 1368 to 1644 to the Qing dynasty which became powerful from 1644 to 1911. These are also the times when martial arts became popular. The antique jians which you will find in antique shops or online auctions are actually swords from the Qing dynasty.
The blade comes in different forms—from narrow to wide to flat and with ridges. Just like all swords, it has a hilt, a grip, and a pommel for balance. Scabbards used to keep Jians are made of wood with a cured skin of sting ray as its cover.
The next kind of antique Chinese swords is the dao. This one has only one sharpened edge and are popular within the times of 13th to 14th centuries. Dao is also known as a ‘sabre’. What is so unique about this sword is its curved blade. Some said that this feature is from Mongols who conquered China. The blade could have the same wideness from the top to the bottom or it can gradually become narrower as the blade approaches the tip.
Again, like jeans and other swords, Dao has pommel, hilt, and hand guard. The wooden grip sometimes has sting ray skin covers or braided leathers.