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Description
A Re-drawing of the original HWS Chinese Woman Warrior as part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited which aims to portray Women Warriors of various cultures in a fictitious historical settings based on AD 800s - AD 1400s era of warfare. She represents China during the early high middle ages, which in this case, corresponds to the Song Dynasty before the Mongol Invasion of China, albeit with a mixture of elements from previous Tang Dynasty.

Inspired by: Theme of Hebei (Romance of the Three Kingdoms XII OST)

INTRODUCTION

The History of China dates back to the most ancient time and early human civilization, and throughout the ages, It's people have grown into powerful kingdoms and empires that became the source of awe to other nations they came in contact with. Observers would consider their civilization 'static', given the cycling nature of the rise of certain ruling dynasties, followed by their decline and civil wars, which resulted in reunification as well as rise of new ruling dynasties. Nevertheless, despite the constant strive and wars, Chinese empire has had incontestable influence in Asia, from its socio-political, science, trade and diplomacy, all of which, when combined created one of the most rich civilization on earth. During the middle ages, it was one of the most advance, progressive and wealthiest nation, dwarfing any European Kingdoms or even Empires that existed. The scientific renaissance during the Song Dynasty, the Militaristic expansion done by the subsequent Sino-Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the revival of ancient traditions and power projection during the Ming Dynasty, gave China a prestige that few others could match.

DRAWING COMMENTARIES

This drawing, is by far, one of the most extensive and time consuming I have ever done as compared to any of the other illustration I have made so far. Not only that the details are extraordinarily challenging, I tried to preserve some Chinese stylistic element in the drawing; while the first one I'm fairly confident, but the later one is somewhat hazy, so hopefully, many of you can forgive my error in this drawing.
In this illustration, Princess Wu is drawn in a highly stylistic Song dynasty armor based on the mountain pattern armour (山文铠), which appeared in Tang dynasty and further refined by Song dynasty. The armor got its name from the multitude of small pieces of iron or steel shaped like the Chinese character for the word "mountain" (山). Although the pattern itself is presented in many Chinese arts and sculptures, no archeological findings have been found, indicating that its a possible artistic stylization of the usual lamellar, or possibly, something similar to mail armor, the latter of which, reserved only for the most elite and the richest. Her horse is equipped with lamellar armor based on the earlier Tang art, which in itself, was influenced by the neighboring Turkic and Tibetan army who employed heavy horse armors. The use of heavily armored horse declined in the later Tang Era, and even their revival under Song, its used was reserved only for small elite groups. Apart from that her weapons included a Chinese composite bow, a long Chinese Sword "jian" from Song Dynasty, as well as a Chinese Fangtian Ji (Halberd).
Technically, her status as being a princess is enough to afford her the extravagant and expensive armor, this includes the armored horse, since horse were expensive commodities in Song Dynasty. In the background, I have decided to include her Sino-khitan officer dressed in another type of lamellar armor based on contemporary illustration, with a kind of kettle helmet wore by heavily armored soldiers. The infantry on the right is depicted in simpler lamellar cuirass and a Chinese Ji variant, with dagger axe and spear. The pavise-like shield is based on the Chinese treaties written in Ming, though such similar shield was recorded to have been used since antiquity. The banner in the far background is based on contemporary illustration, and I'm not sure about the Yang character written, so forgive any error .
References are based on the Song Dynasty iron sculptures from Jinci temple in Shanxi, China, as well as a 12th century Song Dynasty wall scroll "A Tributary Horse for Emperor Xuanzong of Tang", courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

REFERENCES AND OTHER RELATED MEDIA

May relate to the following:

The Tibetan , The Khitans-Jurchen , The Persians , The Central Asian Turks

A Part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited - You can find more on the various faction on the map here:

HISTORICAL COMMENTARIES

In the context of the medieval history, the Chinese were more receptive to the changing world around them. Prior in ancient times, the Chinese people considered themselves as civilized people surrounded by a sea of barbarians, much like the how the Romans thought of themselves. This is true in the case of Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and their predecessor the Qin Dynasty (221 BC–206 BC), but their successor, the Sui and the Tang, saw a whole new different pictures. By the 7th century, the nomads, especially the Turkic people, had formed themselves into numerous great nomadic states, to which, alongside the Tibetan, formed a formidable power in central Asia. This stimulated the growth of trade and technological transmission, which further encouraged the spread of literacy, urbanization and centralized government which were only held prior by the privileged few. By then, China wasn't facing barbarians like they used to, but formidable opponents who were just as proud as themselves.
The Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD) followed the footstep of the great Qin Empire in uniting China after a long period of civil wars and chaos caused by the weakening Han dynasty that ended when Cao Pi, son of the great Cao Cao of Wei (see Romance of Three Kingdoms), abdicated Emperor Xian and took the throne in 220 AD. Under the two Sui Emperor, Wen and Yang, the state saw various social end economic reform, as well as the construction of the Grand Canal which further promotes agricultural growth, ensuring prosperity under Sui's efficient administration. Unfortunately however, their costly and disastrous war against Gogureyo of Korea led to a massive unrest among the people, who had to suffer the burdening tax required to pay for the war. Revolts ensued, civil war followed and the short lives Sui was replaced by the Tang Dynasty when Li Yuan declared himself Emperor in June 18, 618, after the murder of Emperor Yang.
The Tang dynasty (618–907) succeeded the Sui and ruled a relatively stable Chinese Empire which was briefly interrupted by Empress Wu Zetian that took the Imperial throne, establishing herself as China's only Empress Regnant of the Zhou dynasty (690–705). The first half of their rule was generally peaceful and stable, whereby China saw a flourishing era of literary prominence, economic growth and population boom. The prosperity was interupted with the An Lushan rebellion (December 16, 755 – February 17, 763), led by An Lushan, a half-sogdian, half turkic Tang general. The rebellion was different than prior peasant uprising, this time, the Tang army had to face die-hard veterans and professional army under the leadership of An Lushan, who had plenty of experience fighting Khitans in the North. With the help of foreign allies such as the Uyghur and fro as far as the Abbasid Caliphate, the Tang secured their victory, albeit with a very heavy cost. By then, Tang Chinese Empire was further decentralized, relying on regional warlords to manage regional affair. After a series of natural disasters and rebellions, the Tang, who could barely exert any control at all, fell in the ensuing chaos and China was again thrown into a period of civil war, known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Out of its ashes, the Song dynasty rose and exerted their own rule on China/
Much like its Sui and Tang predecessor, the Song Dynasty rule (960–1279) was marked by the imposing of civil order and stability, except that the Song took it more seriously which saw the rising influence of civil administrators and the decreasing influence held by the military. The Song dynasty restored unity and made Song the richest, most skilled, and most populous country on earth. Several inventions were made in Song, one of which, the Gunpowder, made its way to europe that changed the history of warfare forever. Despite all their achievements, they inherited the burdening military system from the earlier Tanng. The Song military was a remarkable force on their own, able to quell rebellions when required, but the burdening organization proved no match against the growing power of the Khitans (Sinicized Liao Dynasty 907–1125) and their Jurchen successors (Jin Dynasty, 1125–1234), who took most of the northern part of China. The song wasn't completely defeated, as the territories of the south contained 60% of their population and plenty of develop agriculture, enough to sustain the Southern Song Dynasty until its eventuall fall under the Mongols in 1279. By the time of Song Dynasty, China had been ruled by the ethnic Han Chinese, until that chain was broken by the Mongols, a foreigner that the Chinese earlier considered as Barbarian.

Description
A Re-drawing of the original HWS Chinese Woman Warrior as part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited which aims to portray Women Warriors of various cultures in a fictitious historical settings based on AD 800s - AD 1400s era of warfare. She represents China during the early high middle ages, which in this case, corresponds to the Song Dynasty before the Mongol Invasion of China, albeit with a mixture of elements from previous Tang Dynasty.

Inspired by: Theme of Hebei (Romance of the Three Kingdoms XII OST)

INTRODUCTION

The History of China dates back to the most ancient time and early human civilization, and throughout the ages, It's people have grown into powerful kingdoms and empires that became the source of awe to other nations they came in contact with. Observers would consider their civilization 'static', given the cycling nature of the rise of certain ruling dynasties, followed by their decline and civil wars, which resulted in reunification as well as rise of new ruling dynasties. Nevertheless, despite the constant strive and wars, Chinese empire has had incontestable influence in Asia, from its socio-political, science, trade and diplomacy, all of which, when combined created one of the most rich civilization on earth. During the middle ages, it was one of the most advance, progressive and wealthiest nation, dwarfing any European Kingdoms or even Empires that existed. The scientific renaissance during the Song Dynasty, the Militaristic expansion done by the subsequent Sino-Mongol Yuan Dynasty and the revival of ancient traditions and power projection during the Ming Dynasty, gave China a prestige that few others could match.

DRAWING COMMENTARIES

This drawing, is by far, one of the most extensive and time consuming I have ever done as compared to any of the other illustration I have made so far. Not only that the details are extraordinarily challenging, I tried to preserve some Chinese stylistic element in the drawing; while the first one I'm fairly confident, but the later one is somewhat hazy, so hopefully, many of you can forgive my error in this drawing.
In this illustration, Princess Wu is drawn in a highly stylistic Song dynasty armor based on the mountain pattern armour (山文铠), which appeared in Tang dynasty and further refined by Song dynasty. The armor got its name from the multitude of small pieces of iron or steel shaped like the Chinese character for the word "mountain" (山). Although the pattern itself is presented in many Chinese arts and sculptures, no archeological findings have been found, indicating that its a possible artistic stylization of the usual lamellar, or possibly, something similar to mail armor, the latter of which, reserved only for the most elite and the richest. Her horse is equipped with lamellar armor based on the earlier Tang art, which in itself, was influenced by the neighboring Turkic and Tibetan army who employed heavy horse armors. The use of heavily armored horse declined in the later Tang Era, and even their revival under Song, its used was reserved only for small elite groups. Apart from that her weapons included a Chinese composite bow, a long Chinese Sword "jian" from Song Dynasty, as well as a Chinese Fangtian Ji (Halberd).
Technically, her status as being a princess is enough to afford her the extravagant and expensive armor, this includes the armored horse, since horse were expensive commodities in Song Dynasty. In the background, I have decided to include her Sino-khitan officer dressed in another type of lamellar armor based on contemporary illustration, with a kind of kettle helmet wore by heavily armored soldiers. The infantry on the right is depicted in simpler lamellar cuirass and a Chinese Ji variant, with dagger axe and spear. The pavise-like shield is based on the Chinese treaties written in Ming, though such similar shield was recorded to have been used since antiquity. The banner in the far background is based on contemporary illustration, and I'm not sure about the Yang character written, so forgive any error .
References are based on the Song Dynasty iron sculptures from Jinci temple in Shanxi, China, as well as a 12th century Song Dynasty wall scroll "A Tributary Horse for Emperor Xuanzong of Tang", courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

REFERENCES AND OTHER RELATED MEDIA

May relate to the following:

The Tibetan , The Khitans-Jurchen , The Persians , The Central Asian Turks

A Part of the Historically Wrong Sketch Series: Medieval Revisited - You can find more on the various faction on the map here:

HISTORICAL COMMENTARIES

In the context of the medieval history, the Chinese were more receptive to the changing world around them. Prior in ancient times, the Chinese people considered themselves as civilized people surrounded by a sea of barbarians, much like the how the Romans thought of themselves. This is true in the case of Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and their predecessor the Qin Dynasty (221 BC–206 BC), but their successor, the Sui and the Tang, saw a whole new different pictures. By the 7th century, the nomads, especially the Turkic people, had formed themselves into numerous great nomadic states, to which, alongside the Tibetan, formed a formidable power in central Asia. This stimulated the growth of trade and technological transmission, which further encouraged the spread of literacy, urbanization and centralized government which were only held prior by the privileged few. By then, China wasn't facing barbarians like they used to, but formidable opponents who were just as proud as themselves.
The Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD) followed the footstep of the great Qin Empire in uniting China after a long period of civil wars and chaos caused by the weakening Han dynasty that ended when Cao Pi, son of the great Cao Cao of Wei (see Romance of Three Kingdoms), abdicated Emperor Xian and took the throne in 220 AD. Under the two Sui Emperor, Wen and Yang, the state saw various social end economic reform, as well as the construction of the Grand Canal which further promotes agricultural growth, ensuring prosperity under Sui's efficient administration. Unfortunately however, their costly and disastrous war against Gogureyo of Korea led to a massive unrest among the people, who had to suffer the burdening tax required to pay for the war. Revolts ensued, civil war followed and the short lives Sui was replaced by the Tang Dynasty when Li Yuan declared himself Emperor in June 18, 618, after the murder of Emperor Yang.
The Tang dynasty (618–907) succeeded the Sui and ruled a relatively stable Chinese Empire which was briefly interrupted by Empress Wu Zetian that took the Imperial throne, establishing herself as China's only Empress Regnant of the Zhou dynasty (690–705). The first half of their rule was generally peaceful and stable, whereby China saw a flourishing era of literary prominence, economic growth and population boom. The prosperity was interupted with the An Lushan rebellion (December 16, 755 – February 17, 763), led by An Lushan, a half-sogdian, half turkic Tang general. The rebellion was different than prior peasant uprising, this time, the Tang army had to face die-hard veterans and professional army under the leadership of An Lushan, who had plenty of experience fighting Khitans in the North. With the help of foreign allies such as the Uyghur and fro as far as the Abbasid Caliphate, the Tang secured their victory, albeit with a very heavy cost. By then, Tang Chinese Empire was further decentralized, relying on regional warlords to manage regional affair. After a series of natural disasters and rebellions, the Tang, who could barely exert any control at all, fell in the ensuing chaos and China was again thrown into a period of civil war, known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Out of its ashes, the Song dynasty rose and exerted their own rule on China/
Much like its Sui and Tang predecessor, the Song Dynasty rule (960–1279) was marked by the imposing of civil order and stability, except that the Song took it more seriously which saw the rising influence of civil administrators and the decreasing influence held by the military. The Song dynasty restored unity and made Song the richest, most skilled, and most populous country on earth. Several inventions were made in Song, one of which, the Gunpowder, made its way to europe that changed the history of warfare forever. Despite all their achievements, they inherited the burdening military system from the earlier Tanng. The Song military was a remarkable force on their own, able to quell rebellions when required, but the burdening organization proved no match against the growing power of the Khitans (Sinicized Liao Dynasty 907–1125) and their Jurchen successors (Jin Dynasty, 1125–1234), who took most of the northern part of China. The song wasn't completely defeated, as the territories of the south contained 60% of their population and plenty of develop agriculture, enough to sustain the Southern Song Dynasty until its eventuall fall under the Mongols in 1279. By the time of Song Dynasty, China had been ruled by the ethnic Han Chinese, until that chain was broken by the Mongols, a foreigner that the Chinese earlier considered as Barbarian.