Steel single-edged sword, da dao, with a long wooden grip, ovoid in cross-section, bound with orange braided silk cords and surmounted by a metal ring pommel covered with red cotton. The lower grip is of brass engraved with chrysanthemum design. The guard is a rhombic brass plate with two bars curving in opposite directions. Both bars have ball-ends engraved with chrysanthemum motifs. The curved steel blade has two grooves on each side for stiffening the blade. On the upper blade four Chinese characters, 'chu bao an liang' are inscribed on one side, with a chrysanthemum decoration engraved on the other.
Swords of this type with curved blades were called 'da dao', which translates as 'big knife'. They were intended for cutting. These swords were widely used by the infantry but have been misinterpreted by westerners as having been solely for execution. However, the inscription on the blade, 'chu bao an liang', meaning 'eliminate violence, maintain goodness' suggests that this one could possibly have been used for execution. See p. 284, Zhou Wei (1957), 'Zhongguo bing qi shi gao', Beijing.
