[jimmydef]

Slow adoption of firearms by the Chinese was less to do with the crossbow than the fact that the Manchus occupied China during a period when firearms was coming of age. The Manchus famously despised gunpowder weapons in favor of the bow and arrow which they held in extremely high regard. After all it was the bow that in part helped them defeat the disintegrating Ming empire which invested heavily in gunpowder weapons like cannons.

In their early years of Western expansion, the firearms units was always staffed by the Han Chinese and were of low status.

[hosh]

Hmm. That makes sense. Probably also why the Qing underestimated naval cannons at around the time of the Opium Wars.

I was thinking though, about how long the Chinese had gunpowder, and even bombs before the gunpowder formulas proliferated through the Silk Road, pre-Ming.

The Qing also fielded firearm units. The Manchu bows and arrows evolved to taking the role of short-range weapon, ceding the long-range to firearms. Maybe it was a case of not going all in with firearms.