I have heard that the Xue Di Zi were used by Yongzheng to take the heads of any who opposed him. They were rumoured to use some sort of chain weapon with something on the end that would cut off the head of their quarry.
I'm not exactly sure how true that these stories are. But can anyone tell me more information about them, both from literature, and maybe history?
And...were they fact or fiction?
Full Version: The 'flying guillotine' (xuedizi)
QUOTE(Yang Zongbao @ Apr 26 2005, 09:21 PM)
I'm not exactly sure how true that these stories are. But can anyone tell me more information about them, both from literature, and maybe history?
I think there was a post on this waaaay back and I can't recall the folder/title.
血滴子 "Xue Di Zi" was a title of a Shaw Brothers kungfu movie.
The weapon was rehashed in HK TV serial Da Nei Qun Ying (大内群英) aka Dynasty, with Alex Man as Yong Zheng.
I'd consider them as fiction.
Actually the term "Xue Di Zhi - 血滴子”, can be found in quite a few literature normally termed as "野说 or 野传“ like the book which is actually also titled as "雍正野说“. This book actually tells of Yongzhen with his group of "刺客 - assasins" and even tells of how Yongzhen killed his 2 brothers (八阿哥&九阿哥 - eighth & ninth prince, sons of Kangxi). It was concluded that "Xue Di Zhi" was most likely invented by the enemies of Yongzhen to brand him as a cold blooded murderer and a despot whom eliminates his opposition with such a device.
Xue Dizi, is what I would call the Aerial Decapitator.
It is a had with spring mechanisms and numerous knives. You throw it, and when it is just above your enemy's head, you j*** back so it would catch nicely on your enemy's head. So j*** the string to activate the spring mechanism and the daggers will cut into his neck, j*** again to make the daggers rotate to make a clean cut, and then j*** the whole thing to claim the now nicely severed head. Undo the spring mechanism and the head drops out of the aerial decapitator.
It is a had with spring mechanisms and numerous knives. You throw it, and when it is just above your enemy's head, you j*** back so it would catch nicely on your enemy's head. So j*** the string to activate the spring mechanism and the daggers will cut into his neck, j*** again to make the daggers rotate to make a clean cut, and then j*** the whole thing to claim the now nicely severed head. Undo the spring mechanism and the head drops out of the aerial decapitator.
The flying guillotine was first used in during the emperor Yonzhengs reign. He used a secret special martial forces thats used the flying guillotine, The fisrt notice of the flying guillotine was when a famaliy meber of the Yongzheng was murder an his had was missing. but if it exits it how would it look and is it possebol such a weapon?
Definitely fiction.
The Shaw Brothers film of the same title was one of my favorite films, and after watching it in the Kung Fu Theater series of movies in the U.S., it prompted me to do a bit of research, just because the weapon seems so impossibly improbable.
The story of the weapon was past down as folk stories, and it was supposed invented by a taoist priest to subdue demons.
The bit about Yonzheng's missing head is also fiction as well. That came about because he died so suddenly, and the folklore just spread around it.
The Shaw Brothers film of the same title was one of my favorite films, and after watching it in the Kung Fu Theater series of movies in the U.S., it prompted me to do a bit of research, just because the weapon seems so impossibly improbable.
The story of the weapon was past down as folk stories, and it was supposed invented by a taoist priest to subdue demons.
The bit about Yonzheng's missing head is also fiction as well. That came about because he died so suddenly, and the folklore just spread around it.
QUOTE
Definitely fiction.
The Shaw Brothers film of the same title was one of my favorite films, and after watching it in the Kung Fu Theater series of movies in the U.S., it prompted me to do a bit of research, just because the weapon seems so impossibly improbable.
The story of the weapon was past down as folk stories, and it was supposed invented by a taoist priest to subdue demons.
The bit about Yonzheng's missing head is also fiction as well. That came about because he died so suddenly, and the folklore just spread around it.
The Shaw Brothers film of the same title was one of my favorite films, and after watching it in the Kung Fu Theater series of movies in the U.S., it prompted me to do a bit of research, just because the weapon seems so impossibly improbable.
The story of the weapon was past down as folk stories, and it was supposed invented by a taoist priest to subdue demons.
The bit about Yonzheng's missing head is also fiction as well. That came about because he died so suddenly, and the folklore just spread around it.
I ment a famaliy member of Yonzheng anyway is saw it in the top 10 kung fu weapons
It's a cool fictional weapon
the closest thing to real life I can think of is a mancatcher
think thats european, though believe there were Chinese equivilants
the closest thing to real life I can think of is a mancatcher
think thats european, though believe there were Chinese equivilants
Merged with an older thread from the Qing forum.
the movie Seven Swords had a badguy that used a flying guillotine type weapon
was like a big evil umbrella on a long pole.
now, did Chinese us things like mancatchers before? I imagine such restraining weapons would have been intuitive
was like a big evil umbrella on a long pole.
now, did Chinese us things like mancatchers before? I imagine such restraining weapons would have been intuitive
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