Did the ancient Chinese ever used battle axes in warfare?

Yes, the Da Fu or the Yue were long poleaxes sometimes used in warfare. Not sure about how widespread their use was.

During East Zhou in southern China there seems to be more use of axes in warfare, and in Yunnan & Dian cultures there are quite elaborate forms with decoration and incast design.
Earlier axes from Shang seem more associated with the executioner only...for lopping off heads & sacrifice.
During Han there are effective long handled axes depicted as carried by both cavalry and infantry. This isi one weapon that does not seem common though. I havent seen many examples of 'central plains' battle axes from the Zhou & Han period beyond those in art, and a few finds that could even be mundane axes for use outside warfare (in this way simple axes of bronze and iron are common).
The weapon association for axes I have heard commented on was linked proportionately to finds and suggests groups viewed as non-Chinese favoured axes more.
I am meaning to post on CHF an example of a Yunnan style bronze battle axe I aquired recently, spring & autumn period. I have conducted some home tests and am fairly sure it is authentic.
To illustrate the basic form of these 'Yunnan' axes it will suffice either way. It is the same as examples in Y. Hongs text, even down to the art depicting mountains and clouds on the blade.
Note' some people call the dagger-axe (ge) a 'battle axe' too, but that is only an English term and not accurate.
Basically as a true ''Chinese'' weapon, at least up untill Han which is my only real area of study, the axe is not widespread..although it was used.

Edit; here is the Yunnan battle axe. I have better pictures on another PC and will elaborate on it, and issues of authenticity, on the 'archaeology' forum later. (click to see full sized image)

People with a copy of Yang Hong can compare it to the section on weapons of minority cultres. The single loop and in-cast art shows it to be the same weapon style.
The picture is not the best, and shot under artificial light. From a jpg. one commentator I sent this too expressed doubts, another thinks it looks good. My own inspection over several days, under magnification and with chemical strippers and heat tests show no sign of fakery. The only reason to be suspicious is my normal suspicious nature. If it is fake it is good, and still shows the appearnace of the axes I was meaning.
I am 70% in favour of it being a Spring & Autumn piece. I hope to get some metallurgical testing done in future. It lacks traces of wood or other such patina features as I normally select.
This is the design on it, again make comparisons to Y. Hong.
The pattern is mountain, cloud, land & sea below. I like this design very much and will recreate it on paper in a spare moment. I hope to get a tattoo done of the design to sit below my Sun Wu Kung tattoo. Mountain of fruit and flowers and all that...

Cool axe, kenneth. Why wasn't battle axes wide spread in chinese armies? Is it because its a bad weapon to use in warfare?

1/Halberd, which is a long pole battle-axe must have been widely used or it would not have become one of the most common key character (Nr 62: Ke1).
2/I can't help thinking of the popular use of "battle axe" in the English language to qualify a bossy woman ("my wife is a battle-axe") but this is not fully relevant to this interesting thread

The ge is usually translated as 'dagger-axe', and it is not a true battle-axe but rather a slashing weapon with a blade set at a right angle to the shaft. Actually the rise of the ge in early Chinese warfare suggests the reason why the yue (battle-axe) gradually became a purely ceremonial token of prestige presented to generals by the emperor. Battle-axes are individualistic melee weapons, which take a lot of swinging room. Mass formation fighting, on the other hand, requires more compact weapons like the ge, ji-halberd and spear. Nor was a heavy axe-head on a long pole (i.e. pole-axe) very easy to wield by either infantry or charioteers/cavalry, compared to the ji-halberd.

The pole-axe became prominent from the Song dynasty onwards, however, for a totally different function - anti-cavalry warfare. But we already have a thread on this.

Hey everyone!


Does anyone here know what the Chinese battle axe looks like (pictures are great!). I am familiar with the dagger-axe or Ge (that is the right word right?) so that is not what I am looking for. I tried doing an internet search but I keep turning up Kung-Fu weaponary sites, something I would not touch with a 50-foot pole.


Thanks in Advance,

KZ

Here are some images. (both from Han)

Soldiers gaurding a chariot from a set of bronze tomb figures.
&

If you look closely long handled axes are carried by a small number of troops in this group.

I have a flared bronze example shown in a text from Han Jingdi's tomb. The Han axes are plain and broad bladed.
Quite unlike the Dian culture examples which are decorative and often finer in proportion.

Aaah....

Thanks Kenneth! Did axes from other dynasties look like the ones from Han?

Hmmm... so she's a battle-axe and you're unromantic is it? Sounds like a perfect match if you asked me. A match made in heaven.