Hong Kong Palace Museum | The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Art of Armaments — Qing Dynasty Military Collection from The Palace Museum

This helmet was commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795) in 1783, instructing the Imperial Workshops to produce a faithful replica of the armorial headpiece originally used by Nurhaci (r. 1616–1626). The design follows the style of Ming military helmets, with their fabric-covered neck guards and a tall conical design. The helmet is crafted in a tall, bowl-shaped form from unvarnished iron without lacquer appliances. A decorative plume holder is mounted on the top of the helmet, which should have held a crest in the shape of a spear. The golden frontlet and the brow guard on the front of the helmet denote the wearer’s honourable status. On both sides of the helmet, there are copper-studded fabric ear guards to the rear and a copper-studded fabric neck guard on the back. This design provides both protection and manoeuvrability.

The sabre was tributed to the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795) by the Panchen Lama Erdeni during his visit to Beijing in 1780, after which it was enshrined in the Fanzonglou. The blade beneath the handle features gold-inlaid Persian inscriptions of “Isfahan”, referencing the renowned city of the Safavid dynasty.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, European artillery specialists developed measuring instruments, such as the squadra, to determine the elevation angles of cannons. But to make measurements, gunners had to position themselves near the muzzle, exposing themselves to enemy fire. A later invention, the clinometer, allowed measurements to be made from the breech of the cannon. The gunner’s quadrant exemplifies this development, as it could measure both horizontal alignment and elevation angles simultaneously. The sector, manufactured and sold by craftsmen under Galileo Galilei’s (1564–1642) commission in 1597, was employed to calculate appropriate powder charges for various types and calibres of cannon when using projectiles made of different materials such as lead, iron, or stone. The sector evolved into a convenient calculating device for algebraic and geometric computations. During the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) periods, European knowledge of ballistics was transmitted to China. The Forbidden City acquired a collection of related scientific instruments, possibly because of ballistic and mathematical interests, as well as collecting purposes.

In 1885, Prince Chun was commissioned to oversee the creation of battle paintings depicting the campaigns against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Nien Rebellion, and the Hui Rebellions. The following year, Dowager Empress Cixi (1835–1908) ordered the project to be managed by the Divine Machine Brigade, with Qing Kuan and others establishing a studio to create these battle paintings. The directive specified that the battle paintings be meticulously accurate. The battle formations and topography had to be researched, the imperial edicts of previous reigns had to be carefully interpreted, and the military achievements of those who had contributed to these campaigns had to be commemorated.

The paintings were to be rendered as scrolls for posterity. Shou Ting was to inscribe the imperial edicts within the paintings. During the Xianfeng (1851–1861) and Tongzhi (1862–1874) periods, the Hui communities across various regions launched anti-Qing uprisings. The rebellion in the Yunnan and Guizhou regions persisted for over a decade.12 battle paintings were produced depicting the campaigns.

The painting shows Lu Zhennan and Jin Changshou attacking enemy fortifications while Cen Yuying directs artillery fire from the riverbank.

In the fourth lunar month of 1886, Prince Chun inspected the Beiyang naval and land forces as directed by Empress Dowager Cixi. After departing from Tianjin, he visited coastal defences and naval fleets at Lüshun, Weihai, and Yantai. This was the highest-level maritime review during the Qing dynasty. He composed poems and commissioned two photographers, Liang Shitai and Albert Reising, to photograph the inspection. The resulting works were compiled as Poetry about Naval Navigation and Portraits of Princes, Ministers, Officers, and Guards. A court painter, Qing Kuan (1848–1927), created Illustrations of the Beiyang Coastal Defence Inspection and Album of Reviewing Troops in the Bohai Sea, and an official, Zhou Fu (1837–1921), compiled Prince Chun’s Diary of the Beiyang Coastal Defence. These materials reveal the state of the Beiyang Fleet before its formal establishment.

The Album of the Reviewing Troops in the Bohai Sea, is the key official record that merged Western photographic techniques with engineering drawings and atlas drawings to document this naval review.

“Map of Troop Inspection Locations and Schemes” shows the fleet’s route, including Dagu, Lüshun, Weihaiwei, and Yantai. “Arrangement of the Fleet” shows Prince Chun embarking from Dagukou and heading to Lüshun accompanied by fleets.