Chinese armour

Chinese armour was predominantly lamellar from the Warring States period (481 BC–221 BC) until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Before lamellar, personal armour in China consisted of animal parts such as rhinoceros hide, rawhide, and turtle shells. Lamellar armour was supplemented by other forms of armour such as scale since the Warring States period or earlier. Large metal plates worn over the chest and back, known as "cord and plaque" armour, was used from the Northern and Southern dynasties (420–589) to the Tang dynasty (618–907). Evidence of mail and mountain pattern armour started appearing from the Tang dynasty onward, although they never supplanted lamellar as the primary type of body armour. Chain mail had been known since the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), but did not see widespread production. Mail was used infrequently and may have been seen as "exotic foreign armor" used to display the wealth of rich officers and soldiers. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), brigandine began to supplant lamellar armour and was used to a great degree into the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). By the 19th century most Qing armour, which was of the brigandine type, were purely ceremonial, having kept the outer studs for aesthetic purposes, and omitted the protective metal plates.