Chinese Trebuchet / Huihui Cannon

Type Object Region China Time 1271–1280

Large Chinese trebuchets, above all the counterweight 'Huihui cannon' introduced from West Asia in the late Southern Song and early Yuan, key to taki…

Timeline

c. 1000–1270China · ChinaBefore the Song, manpower-pulled throwing-arm trebuchets (such as the 'thunderbolt cart' and shao-pao) could hurl stone shot and fireballs, but range and projectile weight were limited, making them unable to destroy major fortifications.
1271–1273Xiangfan (modern Xiangyang and Fancheng, Hubei) · HubeiThe Yuan general Ahmad supervised the construction of five 'Huihui cannons', hurling stones of over a hundred jin by counterweight lever, striking the walls of Fancheng and Xiangyang with precision and ultimately bringing about the fall of both strongholds.
1275–1280China · ChinaHuihui cannons continued to be deployed in subsequent campaigns against the Song, combined with firearms, scaling ladders, and mining, institutionalizing Yuan siege engineering and influencing Ming fortification and engine records.

Sources

元史·阿合马传 — 宋濂等 (1976)
Chinese Siege Warfare: Mechanical Artillery and Siege Engines of Antiquity — Joseph Needham (1994)