Definition
An early firearm that projected flame from a tubular container, providing an important reference point for understanding technologies that preceded guns and cannon.
The Song-dynasty term “火枪” (huoqiang, or fire lance) differs from the later broad use of the same term for firearms. Here it specifically refers to early tubular firearms attached to supports such as long poles and used primarily to project flame. The long-bamboo-pole fire lances used during the defense of De’an in 1132 are a frequently cited account.
English-language histories of technology generally use the term fire lance. The key feature at this stage was concentrating combustion in a tubular device; it cannot simply be equated with a metal firearm whose primary effect comes from projectiles. Differences in construction and whether a fire lance also expelled other objects must be distinguished on the basis of specific historical sources.
Principles and impact
Problems solved
- Concentrated the effect of flame and extended it in front of the user.
Principles
- A tubular container constrains the direction in which combustion products are expelled.
Improvements
- Used a tubular device to constrain the direction of the flame.
Significance
- Provides historical background for studying the transition from flame projectors to tubular firearms that launch objects.
History and applications
People
Not recorded
Organizations
Not recorded
Events
Documentary record of fire-lance use during the defense of De’an in 1132
Applications
Early short-range flame projectors
Limitations
- Range and duration are limited; fire lances sharing the same name may have different constructions.
Upstream and downstream relations
Upstream
Sources: 中国古代火药与火器 (Gunpowder and Firearms in Ancient China)
Downstream
No direct downstream relations recorded