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Flying guillotine (weapon)
Encyclopedia
The flying guillotine is a legendary Chinese
weapon
used in the Qing Dynasty
in the Yongzheng era.
during the Qing Dynasty
. There are stories and crude drawings detailing their appearance but no clear instructions on their use or production are known to exist. The consensus is that they resembled a hat with a bladed rim with an attached long chain. One alleged way of using it is that, upon enveloping one's head, the blades cleanly decapitate the victim with a pull of the chain. This gives the weapon its English name. However, there is also evidence that the weapon may have been used by being soaked with intense poison that is so powerful it could kill another person "at the sight of a drip of blood", giving it its Chinese name.
an assassins sent to China to kill legendary fighters.
Master of the Flying Guillotine
(1976). Though the film is a direct sequel to Jimmy Wang Yu
's One Armed Boxer
, it serves as an unofficial sequel to the Shaw Brothers' Flying Guillotine (Xuedizi), directed by Ho Meng-Hwa in 1974. Master concerns the "One-Armed" boxer (Jimmy Wang Yu
) being stalked by the blind master of the two Tibetan Lama Boxers killed by the handicapped hero in the previous film. When the One-Armed boxer is invited to attend a martial arts tournament, his efforts to lie low are unsuccessful when the assassin soon tracks him down with the help of his three subordinates competing in the tournament; a Thai boxer, a yoga master, and a kobujutsu expert. The Blind monk is able to track down the boxer just by the sound of his voice. People in close proximity to the boxer are often the first to die since the master throws the weapon in the direction of his voice (and especially since several of these persons inadvertently made remarks within earshot of the Master to convince him that they were the One Armed Boxer -with fatal results).
For Wang's independently produced film, the weapon was "borrowed" and improved upon. For instance, in Master, the flying guillotine can fold up like an umbrella for easier concealment. In 1978, the Shaw Brothers produced two more guillotine movies, The Flying Guillotine 2 (Can ku da ci sha) and The Vengeful Beauty
(Xue fu rong).
In Johnny To's The Heroic Trio
(1993), the character of Kau (played by Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) uses a flying guillotine.
Seven Swords
(2005). Upon the founding of the Qing Dynasty
, an imperial decree outlaws the practice of martial arts and offers a cash reward for the decapitated heads of offending practitioners. A death squad
travels China using specialized weapons to claim the heads of martial artists. One such member of the group wields an umbrella affixed to a long pole-arm. When he pulls it shut, it quickly severs the head from the shoulders.
The Machine Girl
(2008). During their battle against Ryūgi Kimura's henchmen, Ami Hyūga and Miki Sugihara are attacked by Kimura, who uses a steel variation of the flying guillotine. Ami narrowly misses the weapon, which decapitates a nearby henchman. Miki attempts to execute a flying kick on Kimura, but suddenly finds her right foot trapped and severed by the weapon.
Hung Hei-Gun: Decisive Battle With Praying Mantis Fists (洪熙官: 决战螳螂拳 , a.k.a. "The Kung Fu Master") (1994). The opening scene of the miniseries
involves a large scale battle in the rain between five Lama boxers hired by the Qing government
and the anti-Manchu
rebel leader "Red Dragon". The Red Dragon, who is really Hung Ting-nam, father of Hung Gar
founder Hung Hei-Gun
(Donnie Yen), uses his double Chinese broadswords
to fend off the Lamas' spear
and flying guillotine attacks. When four of the Lamas simultaneously attack, Red Dragon leaps in the sky, causing the chains to entangle. He then redirects the guillotines back at their users and takes their heads. After a hand-to-hand confrontation with the most powerful Lama, Red Dragon wrestles the guillotine away from him and decapitates him with his own weapon. He finally takes the five guillotines (with heads still inside) and hangs them from a signboard for all to see.
The flying guillotine is also featured in the National Geographic Channel Asia documentary Kung-Fu Killers, which showcases the top ten most deadly weapons in the martial art. The flying guillotine was featured at the topmost position. According to research, the technology, principle, and training for the weapon did exist during that era. However, no actual weapon was discovered.
A recent appearance of the weapon was in a 2010 episode of the American animated series The Boondocks
, where one of the attackers against the Freeman family uses a modified version (disguised as something similar to a lobster trap
), eventually using it to decapitate character Bushido Brown.
Recently, the weapon was tested for feasibility by a 2011 episode of Mythbusters. Tory created a spinning ring with sawtooth inner edge topped with a salad bowl that satisfied the description of the flying guillotine and successfully decapitated a test dummy. Thus the weapon was deemed to be plausible, with the caveat that it was effective as an assassination weapon, but not a combat weapon.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
used in the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in the Yongzheng era.
Etymology, history and description
This weapon supposedly hails from the time of the Yongzheng EmperorYongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. There are stories and crude drawings detailing their appearance but no clear instructions on their use or production are known to exist. The consensus is that they resembled a hat with a bladed rim with an attached long chain. One alleged way of using it is that, upon enveloping one's head, the blades cleanly decapitate the victim with a pull of the chain. This gives the weapon its English name. However, there is also evidence that the weapon may have been used by being soaked with intense poison that is so powerful it could kill another person "at the sight of a drip of blood", giving it its Chinese name.
In media
Various forms of media often associate the weapon with TibetTibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an assassins sent to China to kill legendary fighters.
Movies
Master of the Flying Guillotine
Master of the Flying Guillotine is a 1976 Hong Kong wuxia film starring Jimmy Wang, who also wrote and directed the film. It is a sequel to Wang's 1971 film One Armed Boxer, and thus the film is also known as One-Armed Boxer 2 and The One Armed Boxer vs...
(1976). Though the film is a direct sequel to Jimmy Wang Yu
Jimmy Wang Yu
Jimmy Wang Yu is a Chinese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. He shot to fame with the Shaw Brothers Studio's martial arts film, The One-Armed Swordsman, in 1967...
's One Armed Boxer
One Armed Boxer
One Armed Boxer is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts film starring Jimmy Wang Yu. It is about a skilled Chinese martial artist who loses an arm and must exact revenge on his rival school....
, it serves as an unofficial sequel to the Shaw Brothers' Flying Guillotine (Xuedizi), directed by Ho Meng-Hwa in 1974. Master concerns the "One-Armed" boxer (Jimmy Wang Yu
Jimmy Wang Yu
Jimmy Wang Yu is a Chinese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. He shot to fame with the Shaw Brothers Studio's martial arts film, The One-Armed Swordsman, in 1967...
) being stalked by the blind master of the two Tibetan Lama Boxers killed by the handicapped hero in the previous film. When the One-Armed boxer is invited to attend a martial arts tournament, his efforts to lie low are unsuccessful when the assassin soon tracks him down with the help of his three subordinates competing in the tournament; a Thai boxer, a yoga master, and a kobujutsu expert. The Blind monk is able to track down the boxer just by the sound of his voice. People in close proximity to the boxer are often the first to die since the master throws the weapon in the direction of his voice (and especially since several of these persons inadvertently made remarks within earshot of the Master to convince him that they were the One Armed Boxer -with fatal results).
For Wang's independently produced film, the weapon was "borrowed" and improved upon. For instance, in Master, the flying guillotine can fold up like an umbrella for easier concealment. In 1978, the Shaw Brothers produced two more guillotine movies, The Flying Guillotine 2 (Can ku da ci sha) and The Vengeful Beauty
Vengeful Beauty
The Vengeful Beauty is a 1978 Shaw Brothers film directed by Meng Hua Ho, starring Lo Lieh, Chen Ping and Norman Chu.-Plot:As the trained Flying Guillotine assassins secretly working for the Emperor begin their attacks, one of the assassins is caught by local security forces...
(Xue fu rong).
In Johnny To's The Heroic Trio
The Heroic Trio
The Heroic Trio is a 1993 Hong Kong action film directed by Johnny To, starring Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, and Anita Mui as the titular trio. Other cast include Damian Lau, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Paul Chun, James Pak and Yan Yee Kwan...
(1993), the character of Kau (played by Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) uses a flying guillotine.
Seven Swords
Seven Swords
Seven Swords is a 2005 Hong Kong wuxia film adapted from Liang Yusheng's novel Qijian Xia Tianshan. It was produced and directed by Tsui Hark, and starred Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung, Sun Honglei, Lu Yi and Kim So-yeon...
(2005). Upon the founding of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, an imperial decree outlaws the practice of martial arts and offers a cash reward for the decapitated heads of offending practitioners. A death squad
Death squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
travels China using specialized weapons to claim the heads of martial artists. One such member of the group wields an umbrella affixed to a long pole-arm. When he pulls it shut, it quickly severs the head from the shoulders.
The Machine Girl
The Machine Girl
is a 2008 Japanese action shock/gore film written and directed by Noboru Iguchi with special effects by Yoshihiro Nishimura . The film stars Minase Yashiro in the lead role as Ami, Asami in the role of Miki, Kentarō Shimazu as the yakuza leader Ryūgi Kimura and Honoka as his wife, Mrs. Kimura...
(2008). During their battle against Ryūgi Kimura's henchmen, Ami Hyūga and Miki Sugihara are attacked by Kimura, who uses a steel variation of the flying guillotine. Ami narrowly misses the weapon, which decapitates a nearby henchman. Miki attempts to execute a flying kick on Kimura, but suddenly finds her right foot trapped and severed by the weapon.
Television
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
involves a large scale battle in the rain between five Lama boxers hired by the Qing government
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
and the anti-Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
rebel leader "Red Dragon". The Red Dragon, who is really Hung Ting-nam, father of Hung Gar
Hung Gar
Hung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....
founder Hung Hei-Gun
Hung Hei-Gun
Hung Hei 1745–1825, born Huadu, Guangdong, China, was a major influential figure of Southern Shaolin Kung Fu.-Overview:Hung Hei was originally named Jue 朱 and was a tea merchant. He escaped to the Southern Fujian Shaolin Temple after he had an argument with a few upper class Manchurians during the...
(Donnie Yen), uses his double Chinese broadswords
Dao (sword)
Daois a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping , often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the gun , qiang , and the jian , and referred...
to fend off the Lamas' spear
Qiang (spear)
Qiang is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield...
and flying guillotine attacks. When four of the Lamas simultaneously attack, Red Dragon leaps in the sky, causing the chains to entangle. He then redirects the guillotines back at their users and takes their heads. After a hand-to-hand confrontation with the most powerful Lama, Red Dragon wrestles the guillotine away from him and decapitates him with his own weapon. He finally takes the five guillotines (with heads still inside) and hangs them from a signboard for all to see.
The flying guillotine is also featured in the National Geographic Channel Asia documentary Kung-Fu Killers, which showcases the top ten most deadly weapons in the martial art. The flying guillotine was featured at the topmost position. According to research, the technology, principle, and training for the weapon did exist during that era. However, no actual weapon was discovered.
A recent appearance of the weapon was in a 2010 episode of the American animated series The Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
, where one of the attackers against the Freeman family uses a modified version (disguised as something similar to a lobster trap
Lobster trap
Not to be confused with Lobster-tailed potA lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. A lobster trap can hold several lobsters. Lobster traps are constructed of wire and wood. An opening permits the lobster to enter a tunnel of...
), eventually using it to decapitate character Bushido Brown.
Recently, the weapon was tested for feasibility by a 2011 episode of Mythbusters. Tory created a spinning ring with sawtooth inner edge topped with a salad bowl that satisfied the description of the flying guillotine and successfully decapitated a test dummy. Thus the weapon was deemed to be plausible, with the caveat that it was effective as an assassination weapon, but not a combat weapon.