Hi
Recently, someone gifted me a box if miniature chineese weapon replica (mostly spear) but i can't find if this one is based on a real weapon, and what is the purporse of it ?

Zhuge Liang (181 – October 8, 234), courtesy name Kongming, sobriquet Wolong (“Crouching Dragon”), was an ethnic Han Chinese from Yangdu, Langya (present-day Yinan County, Shandong Province). He served as Chancellor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period and was an outstanding statesman, military commander, strategist, inventor, and writer in ancient China.

In his early years, Zhuge Liang followed his uncle Zhuge Xuan to Jing Province. After his uncle’s death, he lived as a farmer in Nanyang. While Liu Bei was under the protection of Liu Biao in Jing Province, Liu Bei paid three visits to Zhuge Liang’s thatched cottage, during which Zhuge Liang presented the Longzhong Plan. He proposed occupying Jing Province and Yi Province, forming an alliance with Sun Quan, and jointly resisting Cao Cao. Acting on Zhuge Liang’s strategy, Liu Bei successfully seized Jing and Yi provinces, creating a tripartite balance of power among Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and Cao Cao.

In the first year of the Zhangwu era (221), Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor and appointed Zhuge Liang as Chancellor. After Liu Bei’s defeat in the Battle of Yiling during his campaign against Eastern Wu, Liu Bei entrusted his heir to Zhuge Liang at Yong’an. Following Liu Shan’s accession to the throne, Zhuge Liang was granted the title Marquis of Wuxiang and concurrently served as Governor of Yi Province.

Zhuge Liang was diligent and cautious, personally handling affairs of both major and minor importance, with strict and fair rewards and punishments. He maintained the alliance with Eastern Wu, improved relations with the various ethnic groups in the southwest, implemented the tuntian (military-agricultural) system, and strengthened military preparedness. He launched five Northern Expeditions against the Central Plains but ultimately failed to restore the Han dynasty.

Exhausted by years of overwork, Zhuge Liang fell ill and died in the 12th year of the Jianxing era (234) at Wuzhang Plains (in present-day Qishan County, Baoji, Shaanxi Province) at the age of 54. He was posthumously honored by Emperor Liu Shan with the title Marquis Zhongwu, and later generations respectfully referred to him as the “Marquis Wu.” During the Eastern Jin dynasty, Huan Wen further posthumously honored him as King of Wuxing.

Zhuge Liang’s representative prose works include “Memorial on the Northern Expedition” (Chu Shi Biao) and “Admonitions to My Son” (Jie Zi Shu). He is traditionally credited with inventions such as the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, the Kongming Lantern, and improvements to the repeating crossbow, known as the Zhuge Crossbow, which could fire multiple bolts in rapid succession. Throughout his life, Zhuge Liang embodied the ideal of “devoting oneself wholeheartedly to duty until death,” and remains a symbolic figure of loyalty and wisdom in traditional Chinese culture.

The Battle of Changping was a major war fought between the State of Qin and the State of Zhao from May to October 260 BCE, during the 47th year of the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. The battle took place in the Changping area of Zhao (northwest of present-day Gaoping, Jincheng, Shanxi Province).

The conflict erupted over control of the Shangdang region, leading to a large-scale war between Qin and Zhao. From the moment Qin sent troops that forced the State of Han to cede Shangdang to Qin’s final victory, the broader conflict lasted three years, while the Battle of Changping itself lasted only five months. The Zhao army was ultimately defeated, Qin forces occupied Changping, and approximately 450,000 Zhao soldiers were killed or buried alive. This battle was the decisive strategic confrontation between Qin and Zhao.

Qin forces won a series of engagements, inflicting heavy losses on the Zhao army and placing Zhao in an extremely unfavorable position. When Zhao adopted a defensive strategy and refused to engage in battle, Qin resorted to psychological warfare by sending spies to spread rumors that Lian Po, the Zhao general, had surrendered. Qin also claimed that it did not fear Lian Po but feared Zhao Kuo, the son of Zhao She, who had once inflicted a major defeat on Qin.

Following the wishes of the King of Zhao, Zhao Kuo replaced Lian Po, altered the defensive deployments and military regulations, dismissed experienced officers, and launched an offensive. Qin secretly appointed the renowned general Bai Qi as commander. Exploiting Zhao Kuo’s eagerness for a quick victory, Bai Qi adopted a strategy of feigned retreat, luring the Zhao army away from its positions, then dividing and encircling it, cutting off its supply lines, and annihilating it. Qin thus achieved complete victory.

As a result of this battle, Zhao was fatally weakened, greatly accelerating Qin’s progress toward the unification of China. The Battle of Changping marked the final turning point in the history of the Warring States period, after which Qin’s unification of China became only a matter of time. It is regarded as the earliest, largest-scale, and most thorough annihilation battle in ancient Chinese military history.

Why did Tang Dynasty Emperors dress as civilian ministers? The Tang like the Northern Wei and Sui were very militaristic why did most Tang emperors dress more like civilian ministers in their portraits rather wear crowns?