ancient weapons in china

Dao is the most widely used weapon, in part due to the fact that it is generic term given to many different weapons. It is usually referred as the first of the "eighteen kinds of weapons." Most weapons that have blades and are used to slice, cut, hack, and chop are considered to be dao. It can be short, in which case the blade is attached to a handle. It can also be long, in which case the blade is attached to a long shaft. Some weapons, such as broadswords, are still considered dao, even though their English names suggest otherwise.Dao was first used in China during its bronze age. During and after the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-771 BC), it was briefly replaced by bronze jian (sword), which is easier to wield in combat. During the seven years of turmoil which resulted in the end of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC) and the beginning of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), the importance of cavalry increased dramatically and jian, used primarily to stab, was no longer adequate. During that time, long dao, which has a one sided blade attached to a long shaft, was popularized. Short dao, or the broadsword, was also frequently seen among infantry. Dao remained in use in Chinese armies until the twentieth century.