Hammer
The history of hammers in China can be dated back to the Ming Dynasty. There are various kinds of hammers such as the long-handled single hammer, short-handled twin hammer and chain hammer.The hammer with handle was first seen and became the widely used weapon during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

 

Because it is shaped like a melon, it is also called the standing melon or lying melon. There are also square and octagonal shaped hammers. In ancient times, holders of the hammer were called the Golden Melon Warriors.

 

Hooks 
The hook is an ancient weapon that was evolved from the dagger in China. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the dagger, hook and halberd were used at the same time. According to a bronze hook unearthed from a tomb of the Wei State, the hook looks like a halberd. The difference is that the halberd has a sharp blade on the head while the hook has a small hook on its head.

 

The General Outlines of Chinese martial arts shows there were varied shapes of hooks in the Song Dynasty including the claw cudgel, the fire hook with the double-hooked knife as its blade, and the fire fork, with an iron trident head.

Axe and Battle Axe 
The axe is one of the earliest production tools in ancient China. In the Stone Age, primitive man fixed edged stone on a wooden handle for cutting. In the Shang Dynasty, there was battle axes used for the guarding of the Gods or as implements of punishment.

 

The axe and battle axe belong to the same family, the difference being that the cutting edge of the axe is narrower than that of the battle axe. The cutting part of the battle axe is broad and arc-shaped and looks like a crescent. 

 

Trident-Halberd
The trident-halberd originated during the Ming Dynasty. It has a 0.5-meter-long sharp steel head with a crescent crosspiece, fixed on a 2.5-meter long shaft. At the end of the shaft is an iron taper.

 

In ancient times, it was used for hitting, thrusting and blocking. As it is long and heavy the users must be tall and strong. Similar kinds of trident-halberd include phoenix-wing, swallow-wing, dragon-beard, ox-head and gilded halberd. The playing techniques include throwing, patting, holding, hiding, pushing, turning, supporting and blocking. The basic stances include thrusting and twisting, straight attacking, dragon-riding, jumping over and hiding below.

 

Forks 
The fork is one of the long-handled Chinese martial arts weapons. With two prongs on the head it is called the horn fork, while the one with three prongs is called the trident or three-pronged fork. The handle is 2.3-2.7 meters long and weighs about 2.5 kilograms. Of the three-pronged fork, the central part protrudes 10 cm. At the end of the handle, there is a melon-shaped hammer. In the remote ancient times, the fork was used for fishing. The primitive fish-catching fork unearthed in the ruins of Banpo Village near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province has a joint at the end of the handle for fixing a rope. When the fork is thrown out, the fork can be taken back by pulling the rope. The hitting techniques of the fork include blocking, covering, poking, turning, rolling, beating, smashing, drawing, digging and patting.