Definition
A bamboo-tube firearm described in Southern Song records as discharging a zike (子窠), illustrating a transitional form in the development of tubular firearms toward projectile firing.
The Shouchun tuhuoqiang recorded in 1259 used a large bamboo tube and was described in historical sources as discharging a zike (子窠). Compared with devices used mainly to project flame, this account emphasizes the expulsion of an object from inside the tube.
Zike is a historical term that must be understood in the context of early texts. Its exact composition and fit within the tube remain open to discussion, so it cannot simply be rewritten as a modern metal bullet. English-language studies often retain the transliteration tuhuoqiang and then explain its character as an early tubular firearm.
It can help explain a technological transition, but chronology alone cannot establish that a particular Yuan metal firearm evolved directly from this device.
Principles and impact
Problems solved
- Extended the effect of tubular firearms from projecting flame to firing objects.
Principles
- Combustion products propel an object inside the tube out through its mouth.
Improvements
- Emphasized firing an object from inside the tube, compared with devices used mainly to project flame.
Significance
- An important Chinese documentary example for discussions of early projectile-firing technology.
History and applications
People
Not recorded
Organizations
Not recorded
Events
1259 record of the Shouchun tuhuoqiang discharging a zike
Applications
Early tubular firearms that discharged objects
Limitations
- Too few surviving artifacts exist to determine the structure and performance of the zike conclusively.
Upstream and downstream relations
Upstream
Sources: 文明交流中的火器：突火枪 (Firearms in Exchanges Between Civilizations: Tuhuoqiang)
Downstream
No direct downstream relations recorded