Drawing by william alexander, draughtsman of the macartney embassy to china in 1793. A soldier in his common dress. He holds a bow, a case of arrows and armed with a scimitar: alexander notes that chinese scimitars were equal to the fine blades of spain. The bow was made of elastic wood and covered on the outside with a layer of horn, and required the power from seventy to one hundred pounds in drawing them; the strings were composed of silk threads closely wounded, and the arrows were pointed with steel. The silk flag is firmly attached behind the soldier's back; they were held by every fifth man in detachments. The dress of a chinese soldier consists of a short jacket of black nankeen, with a border of red color; several nankeen garments with sleeves are worn underneath; when the weather was cold, additional layers of clothing were added. According to alexander, the armed forces of china consisted of 1,800,000 men including cavalry and infantry. Image taken from the costume of china, illustrated in forty-eight coloured engravings, published in london in 1805. Date: circa 1800.
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