''Huochong'' () is a Chinese name for

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

s. In pre-modern China, the terms ''chong'' and ''pao'' were used interchangeably at times without clearly distinguishing between a

gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...

and

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

. By the early

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

(1368–1644), it could refer to both cannons or hand cannons. The term ''chong'' has been applied to numerous types of firearm weapons in China, including the hand cannons (''shou chong''), bowl-mouth cannons (''wankou chong''), double edged gun (''liangtou chong''), and big 100-bullet gun (''da chong baizi''). The Koreans and Vietnamese (''sung'' and ''phao'') also used the same terms to describe early firearms. The oldest confirmed ''huochong'', also the earliest

with a date of production, is a bronze bowl-mouth gun (''wankou chong'') bearing an inscription dating it to 1298 (see

Xanadu Gun The oldest extant gun bearing a date of production is the Xanadu Gun, so called because it was discovered in the ruins of Xanadu (Shangdu), the summer palace of the Yuan dynasty in Inner Mongolia, China China, officially the People's Rep ...

). ''Chong'' was later used to describe European firearms such as Frankish cannons and

muskets A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

. In

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

, the Frankish cannon was called "bie-wei chong" (turtle-tailed cannon). The matchlock musket was called "niaochong" or "niaozuichong" ( bird-beak gun) before it was replaced by "niaoqiang" during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. The term "niaoqiang" had been used since the late Ming dynasty, although very rarely. According to Song Yingxing, writing in 1637, the difference between a "niaoqiang" and "niaochong" was the length of their barrels and the range of their shots. A "niaochong" was about three ''chi'' in length and had a range of 100 paces. A "niaoqiang" was built the same as a "niaochong" except its barrel was twice as long, used twice as much gunpowder, and had a range of 200 paces.

Gallery

File:上都火銃.jpg, The

, 1298, is the earliest dated cannon and an example of a bowl-mouth gun (''wankou chong'') File:Bronze cannon of 1332.jpg, Bronze cannon with inscription dated the 3rd year of the Zhiyuan era (1332) of the

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

(1271–1368); it was discovered at the Yunju Temple of

Fangshan District Fangshan District () is a district of the city of Beijing. It is situated in the southwest of Beijing, away from downtown Beijing. It has an area of and a population of 1,312,778 (2020 Census). The district is divided into 8 subdistricts, 14 tow ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

in 1935. It is similar to Xanadu gun. File:Ming Bronze Gun, 1377 AD, Hongwu Reign (10129376023).jpg, Ming Bronze Gun, 1377 AD,

Hongwu Emperor The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328– 24 June 1398), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Ming, personal name Zhu Yuanzhang, courtesy name Guorui, was the List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, founding emperor of the Ming dyna ...

's reign. File:Hand Cannon (Chong) MET DT366859.jpg, Chinese hand cannon (''Chong''), dated 1424. Length 35.7 cm, caliber 15 mm, weight 2.2736 kg. File:Ming Copper Cannon.jpg, Ming copper cannon, 1450 AD. File:Ming tiller gun 1505.jpg, A socketed

hand cannon, 1505, from the

Zhengde Emperor The Zhengde Emperor (26 October 149120 April 1521), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Wuzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Houzhao, was the 11th List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1505 to 1 ...

's reign. File:Flintlock 1635.jpg, A

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

described as a "self fire creating gun" (''zi sheng huo chong tu'').

Bibliography

References

External links

Shoot 13th Century Chinese Gun
Early firearms Military history of Imperial China Firearms of China Chinese inventions {{gun-stub

Gallery

Bibliography

See also

References

External links