A brief history of porcelain

Among the documents related to the Yuan Dynasty, the name of this instrument first appeared in Yuan Shi Da Li Ma Li Zhi Chuan. In the twenty-fourth year of Zheng Zheng (1364), Dali Ma Zhi once commanded the army of "combining weapons with weapons", indicating that the weapon had been successfully created before that. In recent years, bronze spears have been unearthed in Acheng County of Heilongjiang Province, Tongxian County of Beijing and Xi City of Shaanxi Province. The diameters are 26 mm, 26 mm and 23 mm respectively, and the total length is 34 cm, 36.7 cm and 26.5 cm respectively. The production process is rough, the spear wall is uneven, the surface is uneven, and there is no inscription. It is generally considered to be the product of the Yuan Dynasty. In addition to the spear, the China History Museum also exhibited a bronze spear with a diameter of 105 mm, a pipe diameter of 75 mm, a total length of 35.3 cm and a weight of 6.94 kg. The spear is engraved with the words "Shunshun for three years" (1332) (see color map).

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, peasant rebels also used a large number of guns to fight. It is recorded in The Chronicle of the Ming Dynasty: Taizu Pingwu that Zhu Yuanzhang commanded Hu and Xie Zaixing to defend Zhu Quan (now Zhuji, Zhejiang) with spears from Yuan to 22nd year (1362). After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, porcelain developed greatly. Compared with the Yuan Dynasty, the spears made in Hongwu period had smaller caliber, longer barrel and more elaborate technology. The spear body is engraved with the place of origin, manufacturing department, craftsman's name, manufacturing supervision office, weight and manufacturing year. For example, the spear unearthed in Chicheng County, Hebei Province in the fifth year of Hongwu (1372) has a diameter of 22 mm and a total length of 44.2 cm, and is engraved with the words "Qi You Wei Sheng Zi No.401,the spear barrel weighs 200 kg, and it was made by Baoyuan Bureau on an auspicious day in the fifth year of Hongwu". During the Hongwu period, more large bowls were made. A five-year spear of Hongwu in China People's Revolutionary Military Museum is engraved with the words "left guard of water army" and "big bowl mouth tube", with a bowl mouth diameter of 1 10 mm, a barrel diameter of 58 mm, a total length of 36.5 cm and a weight of15.75kg..

Many objects have also been unearthed near the Great Wall of Hebei Province, indicating that the bowl spear was widely used in guarding the city and water war at that time. Handkerchiefs made in Yongle period have fine craftsmanship and uniform shape. For example, the Tian Zi spear has a diameter of about15mm and a total length of about 36cm. The gun body is engraved with a uniform number and year of manufacture, prefixed with "Tian Zi". The structure of the barrel has also been improved, and the wall thickness gradually decreases from the muzzle to the port, making it a cylinder with a certain taper, indicating that the pressure in the bore is gradually distributed from the muzzle to the port. A rectangular slot is cast on the fire door to facilitate the filling of primer powder, and a movable cover is installed on it to keep the primer powder in the slot dry and clean. The spear is also equipped with a charging spoon, so that each charging is equal. At present, the smallest serial number of Tianzihao Handspear unearthed is Tian Zi No.95, which was made in the second year of Wenjian (1400), and the largest serial number is Tian Zi No.98612, which was made in the first year of orthodoxy (1436). In addition, there are other handkerchiefs, such as Ruth and Xinzi, which are similar in shape to Tian Zi. These handkerchiefs were used until the middle of Ming Dynasty. Three-eye spear made in Jiajing period, the caliber is mostly between 13 ~ 15mm, and the spear length is different, generally about 40 cm.