Ancient Chinese Weapons and Armor

Similar to ancient Japanese Samurai swords like the katana, ancient Chinese swords like the Sanmei are works of art. Unlike their Japanese counterparts which are created purely for sword fighting, the Sanmei is supposed to be used in tandem with martial arts training. Wushu is the perfect example to this. Sword wielding is done in conjunction with movements of basic martial arts kicking, punching and for blocking.

Let's go into a little bit more detail about these Ancient Chinese weapons.

The Sanmei is composed of a hardened central layer with two softer steel layers on the outside. The softer steel provides the sword's resilience while the harder core carries the wicked sharp edge. Looking more closely at the blade, one sees the unique lines and fold marks left by the forging.

The Chinese sword fall into two categories, the Jian and Dao. The Jian is a single hand double edged straight sword. Grips for Jian swords were made of fluted hardwood. They were sometimes wrapped in ray skin or in cotton cord.

The Dao is a single edged curved sword longer and heavier than the Jian. It is often referred to as a Chinese broadsword or saber. Dao blades curve moderately and have a canted hilt, curving in the opposite direction to the blade. There is also a disc-shaped or S-shaped guard.

Chinese Sanmei metamorphosed for 2,500 years beginning with bronze then moving on to iron and then steel. At first, during the Han Dynasty, the weapon of choice for mounted cavalry was the Dao. Later on, the lighter Jian became the most commonly used infantry and cavalry sword because of its lightweight.

Like the history of Chinese swords, ancient Chinese armor also went through a metamorphosis. Early Shang Dynasty armor was light plated turtle shells tied together with cord. Later on, these were replaced with one-piece leather or bronze breastplates. In the 2nd Century B.C., plated wrought iron armor began to appear. These were laced together with leather and sometimes had overlapping leather plates as well.

During the period of the Ming Dynasty, light plated armor woven into leather and cloth fabrics became the norm since this did not hinder martial arts movements. It only covered the most important body parts vulnerable to injury. Trading with Arab and Persian neighbors introduced the Chinese to the European chainmail which was widely copied by many rich nobles, officials and military officers.

Ancient Chinese Weapons and Armor | The Kung Fu Connection

Throughout a long period of time, archeological discoveries continuously unearth ancient Chinese weapons, some of them ancient kung fu weapons. Recently, a 2,200 year old metal and jade weapon was unearthed. While jade is considered as a decorative element, forging a weapon of this type has never been within the bounds of imagination of many archeologists, up until now.

In many Hollywood films, these Ancient Chinese Weapons and Armor have been featured. Just what is the history of these Kung Fu accessories and how has the art of creating such weapons evolved since then?

As far back as 6,000 years ago, the ancient Chinese fashioned many types of weapons ranging from meteorite metal, iron, bronze, bamboo, wood, stone and jade. Because they were martial arts weapons, some of them were supposed to mimic or simulate the movements of animals and insects, whether real or in myth. Long before Hinduism and Buddhism brought Kung Fu from India, the Chinese had already mastered the art of melee weaponry and combat. The influence of Kung Fu merely improved ancient Chinese fighting styles. In actual fact, weapon fabrication, technique of usage, materials and shape greatly depended on the ruling dynasty or emperor at any period of time. A single dynasty may last for many centuries so weapons of a future dynasty may also have been influenced by a previous one.

With the discovery of iron, many types of iron weapons could now be forged and mass produced at a faster rate. In practical terms, iron was, of course, stronger and could last longer and so the quality of ancient Chinese weapons and armor greatly improved.

Normally, Chinese ancient weapons are organized into different categories depending on their use. Here are a few of the most widely accepted categories of ancient Chinese weapons and armor.:

1. Daggers 

2. Sai (thrusters) 

3. Broadswords 

4. Long-handled swords 

5. Double-edged swords 

6. Long swords 

7. Sweepers 

8. Axes 

9. Halberds 

10. Spears 

11. Butterfly knives 

12. Flutes 

13. Cane, staff and hook weapons 

14. Firewheels 

15. Fans 

16. Hammers 

17. Bows (longbows and crossbows) 

18. Chain weapons 

19. Shovel blades 

20. Forks 

21. Sectional sticks 

22. Shields

Each category can often have hundreds of sub-categories. For example, spears can come in sub-categories of long, short, very short, soft and projectile sub-categories, each having its own sub-categories as well. The same holds for Chinese swords. Shields are the only objects considered as "defensive weapons" while flutes, canes, staffs and fans are what is referred to as "covert" weapons used by spies and assassins.

An Exploration of the History of Ecuador

As you might imagine, the history of Ecuador is rather vast and complex as it can be traced back over 9000 years. Before you attend Spanish classes in Ecuador, it is a good idea to learn something about the country's history. As a result, you will have a more enriching experience and get more out of visiting museums and various cultural landmarks. The history of Ecuador is often broken up into 5 periods: the Pre-Columbian period, the Conquest, the Colonial Period, the War of Independence and the Republican Era. Let's take a brief look at these periods to prepare you to learn Spanish in Ecuador.

In Ecuador's Pre-Columbian period, the native peoples were invaded and conquered by the Incas. This conquest began in 1463 under the leadership of Pachacuti Inca Ypanqui. His son Tupa commanded the army and led the takeover. They quickly colonized the region. Of course, many native tribes fought hard to resist the Incas, in particular, the Canari. This Inca Empire was called Tawantinsuyu. The Emperor really liked Quito and made it one of the capitols of Tawantinsuyu.

The next period in Ecuadorian history was the Conquest, as Spanish landed in Ecuador in 1531 and sought to defeat the Incans. In addition to the fighting, disease also played a role in destroying the Incan empire. Although there were far more Incans than Europeans, the Spanish had better weapons and tactics. Due to their technological advantage, the Spanish quickly captured the Incan Emperor.

The Spanish Colonial Era commenced as the Incans were defeated and more and more Spanish colonists arrived. The country was one of Spain's colonies between 1544-1563. The Spanish had a very paternalistic attitude and adopted a system called encomienda so that they could "take care" of the native people. Basically, they divided all the natives up amongst the colonial estates. The Spanish instructed the natives in Spanish and Catholicism. In return, they asked for labor as well as gold. Encomienda was considered to be quite unfair and many viewed it as enslaving the native people of Ecuador. Throughout the 18th century, there was an economic depression in the country. Even the elites became very poor by 1790.

The next historical era was the War of Independence, when those in Spanish-controlled America revolted against colonial rule. Citizens began organizing juntas. In 1811, the Juntas demanded a congress and declared that the area should be free of all governments based in Spain. However, the Viceroyal of Peru stopped this rebellion in 1812. Later in 1820, another junta declared independence. Stronger military forces were organized to support this movement. The natives met with a series of victories in battle. Even after the country was liberated from Spanish rule, they ended up in the middle of a fight between Peru and Gran Colombia over border issues.

The Republic of Ecuador started off with 15 turbulent years that included a great deal of fighting. One of the country's significant leaders from this time period, Gabriel Garcia Moreno, was considered to be Ecuador's best nation builder. He saved the country from falling apart in 1859 and then ruled it with an "iron fist." In the period leading up to 1890, the exports from the country grow tremendously. Since that time, there have continued to be a variety of political upheavals and changes to and from democratic rule.

If you decide to learn Spanish in Ecuador, you will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding for the country's complex history. If you read the newspapers and listen to the radio, you can even gain tremendous insight into the political climate today. It is interesting to note that currently a social democrat is president of the country. When you attend Spanish classes in Ecuador it also makes sense to spend time visiting museums and various historical landmarks.

GCSEs - Exploring Your Options

In the United Kingdom, GCSEs are the main qualification that children between the ages of 14 to 16 years take up. If you want to know more about GCSE as a prospective student or as a parent, details are explored below.

GCSE or General Certificate of Secondary Education is a qualification that is highly valued by schools, colleges and employers. Your academic future is determined by this course and you can study it full-time at school or college, taking five terms to complete. Now, depending on your grade, you can do GCSEs at levels 1 and 2 on the National Qualifications Framework. The framework is a way of determining how various qualifications match up based on the demands they place on learners.

There are many types of GCSEs as they are available in more than 40 academic and nine 'applied' subjects. When we say applied subjects, we mean subjects related to a broad area of any profession. So it can be engineering or tourism that you can take up as applied subjects depending on what sort of career you want. There are many short course GCSEs available as they are taken in half the duration of a full GCSE course. Students usually team up a short term GCSE with extra subjects like a second foreign language.

When it comes to choosing GCSE subjects, you can take guidance from your school or college about the subjects available to you. Do a little research to find out the courses and qualifications available in your area. However, you must know that while pursuing GCSE, it's compulsory to study some subjects as part of the National Curriculum.

Once you are clear on the subjects you want to take, you start with regular classes following the course of your curriculum. Then comes the time of assessment, where you will be assessed mainly on written exams. In the case of certain applied subjects like art and design, you will be assessed on your coursework more.

Usually GCSEs involve exams at the end of course. Now, there is a single level exam for some subjects; but in the case of some subjects you have exams of two levels. These levels are: 'higher' or 'foundation' level exams. Usually your teacher will decide what tier of exams suits you more, but you will get a different range of grades for each tier. Exams are normally held in the months of January and May/June.

You will be graded A*-G and U (unclassified). The grades A*-D are obtained after higher tier exams, whereas with foundation tier exams, you get grades C-G. Once you have cleared your exams, there is a plethora of opportunities waiting for you. You can either work, or study further or sign up for an apprenticeship.

Students choosing to further their education have the option of moving on to other courses at levels 1 or 2 after completing GCSEs at level 1. After completing GCSEs at level 2, you can take up other level 2 courses and level 3 courses of all types. For taking up an A level course in a certain subject, you need to have a GCSE in the same subject.

If higher education and universities are your goal, then you need to take up GCSE courses in certain subjects and should have five GCSEs grades A*-C, including English and Math.

The writer of this article recommends Chelsea Independent College, one of the leading sixth form colleges in London. The college offers GCSE and A levels and also train students for a GCSE retake.

Have The Edge Over Your Competitors With RTO Training and Consulting

Ensuring that you are one step ahead as well as staying highly skilled and precise within your chosen field can be accomplished through efficient RTO training & consulting. First of all, you'll have to gather a list of possible agencies which you can proceed to analyze and eventually determine which RTO (Registered Training Organisation) instruction agency will suit you perfectly. Considering the kind of service that you'll want to avail of and examining what you wish to be able to gain from the ensuing training is crucial to this particular process. While researching, you can choose to inquire the prospective agencies and shed light to their credentials, agenda, regulations as well as their worthwhile accomplishes in the process.

Setting a fixed standard is vital to acquiring a reliable RTO training & consulting company. This means that you will more easily get rid of substandard agencies and be able to know as to whether the remaining prospective agencies are more likely to prove themselves as effective training providers. Basing any of the chosen agencies with a carefully set up criteria is entirely up to you. So make sure that this list is able to collect agencies which are right for your financial budget and can readily train you on the particular area of yours that is in need of improvement.

A solid RTO training is undoubtedly a valuable advantage. Gaining the maximum output coming from prospective agencies can be done after following a set of factors closely. You, your colleagues, or perhaps your staff needs to be trained adequately for a chosen industry. So the agency that you'll hire must already know the basics which are evidently being utilised within that particular field and be able to harness it effectively and even improve upon it, if possible. They must also be on the lookout for rising trends and innovative developments that have the potential to make the training a lot easier for their clients as well as making it fun and enjoyable in the long run. Likewise, instructors under the management need to be qualified and have a certain degree of authority and accessibility. This makes them more appealing and pretty much reliable to their trainees, which is obviously works to the advantage of everyone involved. Agencies which are dedicated to providing impressive results from their clients are also a much better option. You'll be even luckier if you find a specific RTO training company with the right RTO system that shares discounts to loyal clients in addition to producing relevant returns. Keep in mind that the type of agency that you employ decides the future of your own career, as well as your colleagues or employees. So finding the ideal registered training organisation should be implemented with careful consideration.

Public Administration and The Persian Empire

Great stories were told of the Persian Empire. An ancient civilization that molded and strengthened today's way of public administering and governing. Persian Empire is a true to life story of great leadership that turned its nation into a kingdom and influenced neighboring countries.

Governance of a country and its implementation of laws were successfully handled by its leaders. Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great were known leaders of Persia. Each leader gave the empire new set of laws to make the empire strong and stable. The addition of laws paved way to the rise of the empire. Making a glorious triumph over other countries, Persian governance were imitated by other countries but never leveled. Such strong advocacy and strong will to govern by its leaders with a trusted system to protect the sovereign ruler and its people were astonishingly displayed with character by the Persians.

A well structured government that was perfectly executed with confidence. Theories and practices of both the governance and public administration of Persia were great foundations of creating binding laws to inhibit full management by its leaders. Persia conquered antiquity with political stabilization and administrative implementation. Greatness that comes along with the names of their leaders transcends the new and modern-day governance and public administration. Immense implication of modern-day governance and public administration can be traced fully with the rise of the Persian Empire and to be exact is the Achaemenid World-State Empire which existed in 559-330 B.C..

Cyrus the Great introduced an empire where four states comprised it. It is a so-called multi-state empire encompassing the whole of Pasargadae, Babylon, Susa and Ekbatana. Pasargadae was the main capital among the four states. Each state is governed by a satrap under the satrapy system with controlled autonomy by Cyrus the Great. A general is appointed to keep military forces active while maintaining peace and order. A state secretary keeps files and records that are purposely for safe keeping. It may contain top-secret orders or missions or simply a record of government policy. A postal system was personally created by Cyrus the Great with several relay stations across the empire called ChaparKhaneh. A special unit of highly skilled and trained soldiers called Immortals is included in an army of thousand men.

When Darius the Great became the ruler, he moved the capital from Pasargadae to Persepolis. Darius revolutionized the economy of the whole empire. He actually altered the economy by silver and gold coinage. He introduced a tax system that is suited for each satrapy's condition. The tax system is based on productivity and economic output of each of the four states. Darius managed the agricultural system to provide sufficient food for the army while stabilizing the economy.

Persian legacy still linger in the air. Unified states under one ruler exists. Satraps or governors have their own state to govern. Satrapy system can be compared to a democratic system which is mostly utilized by democratic government around the world. Modern tax system and economic policies can definitely be traced and attributed from the Persian Empire's rule.