GunpowderartilleryintheSongdynasty

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GunpowderartilleryintheSongdynastyincludedthe'multiplebulletsmagazineerupters'('baizulian
zhupao'),consistingofatubeofbronzeorcastironthatwasfilledwithabout100leadballs,[1]andthe
'flyingcloudthunderclaperuptor'(feiyunpilipao),anearlycastironcannon.Theuseofcannon,and
othergunpowderweapons,enabledtheSongdynastytowardoffitsmilitantenemiestheLiao,Western
Xia,andJinuntilitsfinalcollapseundertheonlaughtoftheMongolforcesofKublaiKhaninthelate
13thcentury.

Contents
1History
2Notes
3References

History

Anillustrationofan"eruptor,"
aprotocannon,fromthe14th
centuryMingdynastybook
Huolongjing.Thecannonwas
capableoffiringprotoshells,
castironbombsfilledwith
gunpowder. [2]

Althoughthedestructiveeffectsofgunpowderweredescribedinthe
earlierTangdynastybyaDaoistalchemist,theearliestknownexistent
writtenformulasforgunpowdercomefromtheWujingZongyaotextof
1044,whichdescribedexplosivebombshurledfromcatapults.[3]The
earliestdevelopmentsofthegunbarrelandtheprojectilefirecannonwere
foundinlateSongChina.ThefirstartdepictionoftheChinese'firelance'
(acombinationofatemporaryfireflamethrowerandgun)wasfroma
BuddhistmuralpaintingofDunhuang,datedcirca950.[4]These'fire
lances'werewidespreadinusebytheearly12thcentury,featuring
hollowedbamboopolesastubestofiresandparticles(toblindandchoke),
leadpellets,bitsofsharpmetalandpotteryshards,andfinallylarge
gunpowderpropelledarrowsandrocketweaponry.[5]Eventually,
perishablebamboowasreplacedwithhollowtubesofcastiron,andsotoo
didtheterminologyofthisnewweaponchange,from'firespear'('huo
qiang')to'firetube'('huotong').[6]Thisancestortothegunwas
complementedbytheancestortothecannon,whattheChinesereferredto
sincethe13thcenturyasthe'multiplebulletsmagazineerupter'('baizu
lianzhupao'),atubeofbronzeorcastironthatwasfilledwithabout100
leadballs.[1]

Theearliestknowndepictionofagunisasculpturefromacavein
Sichuan,datingto1128,thatportraysafigurecarryingavaseshapedbombard,firingflamesanda
cannonball.[7]However,theoldestexistentarchaeologicaldiscoveryofametalbarrelhandgunisfromthe

ChineseHeilongjiangexcavation,datedto1288.[8]TheChinesealsodiscoveredtheexplosivepotentialof
packinghollowedcannonballshellswithgunpowder.WrittenlaterbyJiaoYuinhisHuolongjing(mid14th
century),thismanuscriptrecordedanearlierSongeracastironcannonknownasthe'flyingcloud
thunderclaperuptor'(feiyunpilipao).Themanuscriptstatedthat:
Theshellsaremadeofcastiron,aslargeasabowlandshapedlikeaball.Insidetheycontain
halfapoundof'magic'gunpowder.Theyaresentflyingtowardstheenemycampfroman
eruptorandwhentheygetthereasoundlikeathunderclapisheard,andflashesoflight
appear.Iftenoftheseshellsarefiredsuccessfullyintotheenemycamp,thewholeplacewill
besetablaze[9]
Asnotedbefore,thechangeinterminologyforthesenewweaponsduringtheSongperiodweregradual.
TheearlySongcannonswereatfirsttermedthesamewayastheChinesetrebuchetcatapult.AlaterMing
dynastyscholarknownasMaoYuanyiwouldexplainthisuseofterminologyandtrueoriginsofthecannon
inhistextoftheWubeiZhi,writtenin1628:
TheSongpeopleusedtheturntabletrebuchet,thesinglepoletrebuchetandthesquattingtiger
trebuchet.Theywereallcalled'firetrebuchets'becausetheywereusedtoprojectfireweapons
likethe(fire)ball,(fire)falcon,and(fire)lance.Theyweretheancestorsofthecannon.[10]

Notes
1. ^abNeedham,Volume5,Part7,263364.
2. ^Needham1986,p.266
3. ^Ebrey,CambridgeIllustratedHistoryofChina,138.
4. ^Needham,Volume5,Part7,224225.
5. ^Needham,Volume5,Part7,220221.
6. ^Needham,Volume5,Part7,221.
7. ^GweiDjen,LuJosephNeedhamPhanChiHsing(July1988)."TheOldestRepresentationofaBombard".
TechnologyandCulture(JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress)29(3):594605.doi:10.2307/3105275
(http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F3105275).JSTOR3105275(https://www.jstor.org/stable/3105275).
8. ^Needham,Volume5,Part7,293.
9. ^Needham,Volume5,Part7,264.
10. ^Needham,Volume5,Part7,22.

References
Ebrey,PatriciaBuckley(1999).TheCambridgeIllustratedHistoryofChina.Cambridge:Cambridge
UniversityPress.ISBN0521435196(hardback)ISBN052166991X(paperback).

Needham,Joseph(1986).ScienceandCivilisationinChina:Volume5,ChemistryandChemical
Technology,Part7,MilitaryTechnology,theGunpowderEpic.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity
Press.
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