Great Qing Empire Embassy in Italy
Great Qing Empire Embassy in Italy
| L'Armata Imperiale
The Qing Army The general organization The Chinese Army from the Qing dynasty is divided in two big entities, the Manchu « Banners » or BA QI, and the Green Standard Troops, or LU YONG. The different corps of Y YONG, volunteers supplied by the different districts and equivalent to the Home guard, have to be added. These first three Banners, named the « Higher Banners », exclusively Manchu with some Mongols, constitute the Imperial Guard. This Guard includes 1,250 « Life Guards » in the palace, around 15,000 sentries on the walls and some 10,000 elite soldiers, trained along the European standards since 1861, to man the gates and the escorts. These five last Banners, the « Lower Banners » include Manchu and Han KIUN, descending from Chinese who rallied the conquerors during the first Manchu Emperor, SHUN ZHI.
The Manchu Banners are eight and can be recognized by the colours of their standard, which is found also on their uniform :
The first has a yellow standard.
The second, a yellow standard lined with red.
The third, a white standard.
The fourth has a white standard lined with red.
The fifth has a red standard.
the sixth a red standard lined with white.
the seventh a blue standard.
The eighth a blue standard lined with red.
The soldiers belonging to the eight banners bear a steel helmet in the shape of a round cone topped by a crest looking like a lance, with a red tassel. The head, ears and neck are covered with a hood made of textile with steel nails and plates. The jacket and over-trousers are made of the same fabric with nails and plates. The jacket goes to the waist and the over-trousers to the calves. A steel disk ornates the chest. Hood, Jacket and over-trousers bear the colors of the standard. Horsemen wear boots made of thick black textile with felt soles, the footmen kind of slippers of the same materials.
The uniform of officers is of the same shape, but made from better quality textiles, and generally blue or purple with embroideries. Their helmet, made of polished steel inlaid with gold designs, has a crest higher than those of the soldiers.
As for the Green Standard troops, the documents are scarce and just a few drawings give some clues about their uniforms. The helmet seems to have been replaced by some kinds of turban, some conical bamboo hat or some Manchu fur hat. They wear a short jacket the hem of which is lined with a large stripe of a different color. A round piece of textile of the same color than the stripe and bearing some Chinese characters ornates the chest. Their loose trousers stop at mid-calf and they wear different kinds of puttees. They wear the traditional Chinese black slippers with felt soles. It can be assumed, according to other sources of the same period, that the general colors are dark blue or black, with red or yellow stripes.
Weapons
Offensive and defensive weapons are, beside the helmet, a lance, a longbow and a large blade saber for the horsemen, and different kinds of piques (with one or several blades), a sword, a longbow or a rifle (or better a musket, as it has to be used with a match). The cartridges are carried in wooden boxes hanged on a shoulder belt.
As for the collective weapons, artillery and others, they are numerous but not very efficient, even if their names are frightening.
To begin with the DA CHEN ZHONG, or « Great Spirit », a gun made of a 1.5m long iron tube bound with nine rings and carried by a three wheels carriage.
Then, the « Swarm of bees » which, as its name implies, sends a charge of around 100 bullets to 500 feet. This weapon was carried at the hip by a soldier and can be considered as a 300 years ancestor of the light machine gun.
Let's mention the TI LEI, kind of mine made of an iron hollow ball filled with powder. Several such balls buried underground were connected with sulfurated matches hidden into bamboo poles. As for the TIAN HO KIEOU, similar to the hand grenades, they were as dangerous for those who used them as for the enemy. The HO IAO, made of a strong paper covered with a mixture of resin, oil and yellow wax, and filled with powder mixed with resin and grapeshot, were thrown on the enemy after being ignited. And the FEI HO TSIAN, or « fire javelot », they were a kind of rocket the principle of which has been used by the British and French troops during the Chinese campaign of 1861.
Some of these weapons have been left out during the nineteenth century, to be replaced by molten steel guns - BAO - loaded by the nozzle. We can mention the HUN HI BAO, the FA GOAN BAO or the DA QIAN KIUN BAO.
Musical instruments
Four musical instruments were in use in the Chinese army : the LO, trumpets, drums and conch.
The LO is a kind of huge gong, a 1m diameter bronze flat cup, hanged on a pole carried by two musicians. It is hit with a wooden hammer and the resulting sound is quite high-pitched. It is used to stop the march and the charge, as it can be heard from a long distance (such a gong have been used in the native band of Annamite Tirailleurs of the French Army, at least in 1913).
The drums, made of wood or bronze, are used to march and charge.
Trumpets, of two kinds with a one octave difference, are made of hammered copper. Their weight is around 4 kg.
As for the conch, large horn with the shape, and often made of, a shell, they are used to signal the retreat. Every military quarter has such a conch, to be used as a loud-speaker.
In the late nineteenth century, a French editor (OLIVIER - PINOT in Epinal) published a very romantic and charming view of such a Chinese military band. However, this picture gives a proof of the perfect general ignorance of China by European countries during that period.
An historical fact
It has been assumed that the Chinese Army was not so courageous. It is true that, when compared to the occidental armies, it was far from being as modern and well trained. However, they proved to be heroic, as in the fight of the BA LI QIAO Bridge against the British and French troops during the 1860 campaign. Some 25,000 horsemen and numerous Chinese militias broke in front of a handful of Europeans, supported by artillery that bows, halberds, sabers, muskets and old guns could not compensate. But, after a horrible rout, some officers and the best soldiers regrouped under the bridge and resisted, held firm and preferred to die than to surrender.
As a conclusion
The Chinese Army of the QING dynasty did not change much during the period and is not really different from the QIN Army of the first dynasty, some two thousand years ago, which was really very impressive. Its strategies are based on the same books and knowledge. It is said that History never repeats itself, but it stutters : every change of dynasty has been the result of facts which induced the fall of the former one - weak emperors, corrupt administrations, inducing a downgrading of the spirit and qualities of the troops. The qualities of the QING's army go slowly and slowly down, riots begin, even in the Imperial Guard. If its number is always very impressive, it is a very weak and badly equipped army that the occidental troops have to fight.
