Shovel or Spade (Chan, ). The general structure of the shovel is a flat metal head on the end of a metal rod, or a rod made from strong wood. A small metal piece covers the opposite end of the rod Three different shovels or spades are commonly known. The “Crescent Moon Shovel” (Yue Ya Chan, ) has a moon-shaped head, sometimes adorned with metal rings The “Convenient Shovel” (Fang Bian Chan, ) was mainly constructed from a piece of flat metal sharpened at the edge. Often, the other end was given a convex, moon-shaped blade of metal, which was adorned with rings . The “Golden Coin Shovel” (Jin Qian Chan, ) has a coin-shaped metal head . There are also other shapes for the shovel, the design of which depended on their purposes during different periods of Chinese history. For example, “Heaven Tangled Shovel” (Tian Peng Chan, ) was designed dur- ing the Ming Dynasty (1638-1644 A.D., ) for use by foot soldiers . Another kind of shovel, called “Lotus Flower Shovel” (Lian Hua Chan), had one end crowned with a moon-shaped metal blade, while the other end had a lotus flower-shaped metal cap, which was used to balance the weight on both ends The use of the shovel began in the stone age. The blade of the shovel in this time was comprised of a sharp edge of stone. Later, when brass became available during the Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 B.C., ), the stone blade was replaced with brass. It was not until China’s late Warring States Period (403-222 B.C., ) that iron was used, and the weapon became even sharper. The “Crescent Moon Shovel” was created during the Ming Dynasty (1638-1644 A.D., ), and since then has become a popular martial arts long weapon. The “Golden Bell Shovel” (Jin Zhong Chan, ) is a very ancient weapon, made with a stone head. Legend says that Emperor Yu, of the Xia Dynasty (2205-1766 B.C.) ( ), was a master of the golden bell shovel. After Buddhism migrated to China from India during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-25 A.D., ), the shovel became the weapon of priests. They used it to dig holes to bury the dead following the wars and famines that ravaged ancient China. They also used the shovels as defense weapons when they traveled. In fact, the crescent moon shovel remained exclusively a monk’s weapon until the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 A.D., ). the head of a shovel can be used to attack the opponent’s head, or to chop the foot. The crescent moon shape of the blade can be used to hook the enemy’s weapon. When its user’s back was against the wind, the shovel could also be used to scoop up dirt and throw it into the opponent’s eyes, blinding him for the fight.6