The ichnography for the Song Dynasty armor.           The tomb figures of foot soldiers excavated from Emperor Qin Shi Huang's terracotta warriors archeological site. A three-dimensional drawing of Ming Dynasty generals' helmet and armor.   "Boy scout on short horses"is a famous folk activity held among people of Debaozhuang ethnic group in Guangxi.Helmets worn by kids have an ancient flavor.

   The early armor suits only covered the head and the chest, whereas later they developed into separate pieces of the body shield, the shoulder shields and the leg shields. Judging from artifacts excavated in early times, the bronze helmet appeared in as early as the Shang Dynasty. In Zhou Dynasty, bronze helmet and chest shield made of rhinoceros or buffalo hide were used in wars. It was also recorded in early historv that at that time officials in charge of armored suits, which were made with round pieces in groups of seven, painted in white, red and black. An elaborately embroidered robe was worn over the armored suit to display the dignity of the army, removed only when the actual fighting began.

   The Warring States Period was one with incessant wars among the warlords. In that period, however, significant scientific and cultural development took place, together with the rapid progress in military related manufacturing. Official document of that time recorded the complicated process and craft of making leather armored suites, detailing the form, measurements, structure and proportions of each part of the shield. It was clear that each state attached great importance to the making of the armored suits. Metal shields, according to historical artifacts, appeared in the mid of the Warring States Period, as a simple chest shield shaped like an animal face. The shield was made with metal plates linked together, and at about the same time iron helmet made its entry into the scene. In a later excavation, a helmet made from 89 iron pieces was found in a tomb burial in the Yah state.

   Judging from the terracotta warrior burials and the accompanying stone burial armors, it is apparent that armor suits made of iron were already prevalent in the Qin Dynasty, although leather was also used very often. The Qin Dynasty, it seems, was a transition period for armor suit materials. The move away from leathered armor suits towards iron was primarily due to the replacement of bronze weapons by much sharper iron weapons in the period between the Warring States Period and the Han Dynasty. In short, sharper weapons called for greater protection devices.

   The excavation of a large number of terracotta warriors in the Emperor Qin Shihuang Tomb had provided us a complete set of visual images of the Chinese armor suits of that time. The unearthed soldier figures included foot soldiers, army clerks, riders and archers, all with armors that strictly reflect their rank and status. Generals and riders wore hats, while ordinary soldiers did not. Although they were not real artifacts of armor suits, the fine artisanship put into these clay figures were so meticulous that the structure of the armor was clearly seen. The most common armor style, the style for common soldiers, had one distinct feature - all metal chips were covered like fish scale by the piece on top of them at the chest, and in the reverse direction at waist level, a design intended for easy movement.

Looking from the central line, all chips cover the next outwards. Construction of shoulder chips was similar to the waist. Chips at the shoulders, waist and below the neck were connected with belts and nails, from two nails to four and no more than six. The length of the armor is equal at front and back, rounded at the lower edges with no additional decoration. Materials we have today on Qin armor indicate that armor of the same type is similar in style, measurement, construction and number of chips. This can be seen as the result of measurement unification promoted by Emperor Qin Shihuang, and shows that the production of armor was centralized instead of privately done.

   The gradual maturity and perfection of the Qin armor was no coincidence. On one hand, the fine quality was a direct result of frequent wars among states. On the other hand, the development of armor itself had gone through over two thousand years of history from the late primitive period to the Qin Dynasty. The craft of leather armor was already quite advanced, reaching its height in the Qin Dynasty. By the Han Dynasty, it began to be replaced by the new armor made of iron.

   In the Western Han Period, iron armor became the prevalent armor, and a necessity for the army fittings. Soldiers and generals alike wore the chanyi (a kind of under shirt) and trousers. The chanyi is very similar to the shenyi in style. Army wear of the Han Dynasty were red or crimson.

  Incessant wars through the ages led to even greater development in armor suits in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Weapons became sharper, armors and helmets stronger. Typical armor suit of this period included the barrel sleeve suit, the double layer suit and the Mingguang suit. The barrel sleeve suit is normally made of fish-scale or tortoise-shell like chips that are joined together. Protective barrel sleeves are attached at the shoulders. A helmet is worn with ear protectors and decorative tassels. The double-layered suit is closer in style to the daily wear. It is mostly made with metal although those made with animal skin have also been found. The suit is in two pieces on front and back, covering the chest and the back respectively, similar to a vest that runs down to below the belly. Mingguang suit is one with round metal plates protecting the chest and the back, worn with a leather belt and wide trousers. This type of armor became more popular over the ages and gradually replaced the double layer suit. In historical books, it was clearly said that both soldiers and their horses wore protective armors.

    The most commonly used armor in the Sui Dynasty was the double-layered suit and the Mingguang suit. The double-layered suit improved with smaller fish-scale chips, and extended to the belly so that leather armor skirt was no longer necessary. The bottom of the suit was made of crescent or lotus-leave shaped chips for better protection below the waist. The form of the Mingguang armor was similar to the previous dynasties, only with longer trouser legs.

    A series of reforms were done on garment styles, including reforms of army suits. There were thirteen types of armor suit designated as official army wear, made with materials from copper to wood, leather and cloth. Iron and leather suits were used in actual wars, whereas decorative armor suits made with silk and cotton, visually pleasing as they were, were used as daily wear or ceremonial suit for generals. More decorations were found in the Tang helmet, suit and boots. There were more decorations, carvings and metal plates. The chips were better formed for ease of movement. At the prime of the Tang Dynasty, the strong national power led to a more peaceful time. The once practical armor suits became more decorative than functional. The suits were painted, and even the inner garments were embroidered with animals.

   In ancient China, greater protection in the armor suit was often achieved by increasing the number of chips. Chips became heavier and heavier through the ages. There were two kinds of armor suits in the Song Dynasty, one for use in actual fight and the other for ceremonial purposes. According to Song History, the entire suit had 1825 pieces of chips that were connected with leather threads. The total weight was approximately 25 kilograms. Paper suit existed as well, with chips made of folded soft paper joined with nail fasteners. Delicate as they seemed, they were hard to penetrate with arrows.

    As for ceremonial armor suits, the face was made with yellow silk while the lining was made with cotton cloth. Chips were painted on with a yellowish green color, complete with edging decoration of red brocade, black trousers, red leather ribbons and painted faces on front and back. The paper armor suit was an invention of the Song Dynasty. However, we can no longer find out how these were made. There were guesses that the suit was made of silkworm paper, light, durable and strong. History books of that time had recorded the exchange for a paper suit with several sets of fine metal suits, thus validating our estimate of its high quality and value.

    By the Ming Dynasty, cotton armor was widely used in the army, which was light and better suited to a war of firearms. When making the cotton suit, cotton was hammered repeatedly and then fastened with nail fasteners.

   Qing Dynasty, however, was a period with the most significant changes in the development of ancient martial attire. The Manchu, as the ruling people, made their own reforms of the Han military wear. The use of guns and cannons lead further to this transformation. The Qing Dynasty armor suits were divided into coat of mail and weishang. On each shoulder of the coat of mail, there is a protective shoulder pad, under which there is an armpit guard. In addition, metal chest plates were attached on front and back, and a trapezoid shaped belly protector was added as well.

    The left side of the body is protected, while the right remains open for carrying bow and arrows. The double width weishang was used to protect the sides, fastened around the waist when needed. Helmets, whether made of iron or cattle hide, were painted on the surface. On all four sides of the hehnet, there were vertical ridges, a brow protector and metal tubing for attaching the decorative feather, tassel or animal fur. A protective silk collar is attached for shielding the neck and the ears, decorated with fine embroidery and metal tacks. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, army uniform for the navy, the infantry and the police patrol already had distinct Western features.