On a recent trip to China, I visited part of the old walled city. Recent government work has seen a reversal of the destruction of 'all things old' that happened under the Cultural Revolution.
My wife remembered the old guns being scattered over the hillside, in the 70s, where children used to play on them.
Fortunately, a bit more respect is being shown to Chinese history nowadays. As such, a number of artillery pieces have been displayed in the area where they would have been sited. The best surviving example is this piece, which I have taken at a couple of angles. I know it was German manufactured, and rifled. I estimate that it is probably from around the 1870s. The site was one of the highest points in Guangzhou, and would have overlooked the inland harbour. I therefore believe it would have been for intended use against ships, although the depth of the Pearl River would have dictated that these would have been of gun boat proportions. Any information, or thoughts, on this artillery piece would be greatly appreciated.
3 comments:
Mark
Great pictures. This looks like a Krupp gun using a transverse sliding breech system. It would be in the same time frame as the Armstrong RBL found in HMS Warrior.
YMH & OS, Uncle Ben
Thanks for the comments Ben.
So you'd date this piece as early as the 1860s? That means pieces like this would have seen action in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71.
Not sure as to date. Could be used in that war. UMH & OS, Uncle Ben
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