Is China's traditional sword sharp?

Sword in China can be divided into three periods: early, middle and late.

Early stage: From Yin Shang Dynasty to Western Han Dynasty, this stage can be said to be the world of bronzes. Bronze is hard and brittle, which is beneficial to cutting and not to chopping. Iron Sword has been very famous since wuyue's time, such as the well-known generals, Mo Xie, Zhan Lu, Giant Sparrow, Pure Hook, Long Yuan, Taiya, Gongbu, Fish Intestines, etc. Both hardness and toughness are due to bronze swords, which are more suitable for chopping, but due to lack of resources, iron swords are not fully equipped with troops at this time.

Mid-term: At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the iron sword was fully equipped to replace bronze, but the rise of cavalry made the sword slowly withdraw from the local court, and the knife became an essential weapon for the army. The knife is thick and sharp, which is more suitable for chopping.

Later period: After the Tang Dynasty, short weapons absorbed the characteristics of ethnic minorities, and their manufacturing techniques became more exquisite. By this time, the weapon has become sharper in Gang Qian. During the Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the knife was still the main force.

In the process of casting swords (knives), China was the earliest and the most exquisite. The sword characterized by stabbing and chopping and the knife characterized by chopping have always been the mainstream of the cold weapon era.