Interesting Facts About China

The Invention of the Crossbow

While crossbows may often be associated with the wars fought in medieval Europe, they were actually invented hundreds of years before that. A Chinese text, estimated be from 200 B.C., credited a man by the name of Ch’in of Ch’u with the invention of the crossbow in 700 B.C.

The crossbow was considered such an advanced weapon at this time, that a law was passed that prohibited people from taking crossbows out of China- this way, enemies couldn’t get their hands on this technology. Crossbows were developed so drastically over the years that by the eleventh century, they could shoot 20 arrows in 15 seconds! Crossbows continued to be frequently used by the Chinese military until 1895, when the usage of firearms rendered crossbows obsolete.