Jian

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Shao Jun's crimson jian

A jian is a one-handed, double-edged straight sword of Chinese origin. As an ubiquitous weapon among the Chinese, it was employed by the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins throughout much of its history.

Description

The lightweight jian is a sword defined by its straight, double-edged blade. A perfectly symmetrical sword, its guard is conventionally triangular and takes the form of two short wings on either side of the blade; nevertheless the overall profile keeps protrusions to a minimal. Its grip, terminating in a pointed lobe for a pommel, matches the sleekness of the blade.

Shao Jun's jian

Techniques for wielding the jian effectively in combat is an art form reflective of traditional Chinese martial arts. Unlike the destructive style of the dao, the jian requires far more elegant and precise maneuvers that complement the agile style of an Assassin such as Shao Jun.

History

The jian and its art has a millennia-old tradition in China. By 47 BCE, one had found its way alongside its wielder all the way to the gladiator arena in Cyrene, Libya, within Roman territory. The acrobatic Chinese gladiatrix known only by the moniker "The Duelist" used her jian skillfully in conjunction with a dao, climbing the ladder to become its champion before she was unseated by the Medjay Bayek of Siwa.

The 16th-century Chinese Assassin Shao Jun was highly trained in the use of the jian, and it became her personal weapon of choice. Accordingly, she wielded one in her journey to Italy with her Mentor Zhu Jiuyuan to seek the help of the legendary Mentor Ezio Auditore against the Templars that had purged their Brotherhood. In at least two ambushes by Chinese Templars in Florence and at Ezio's villa, she made great use of the weapon to dispatch her enemies.

Shao Jun facing Zhang Yong with her sword drawn

Upon her return to China in 1526 as one of the last surviving Chinese Assassins, Shao Jun continued to rely on her jian throughout her campaign to assassinate the Eight Tigers, a group of corrupt eunuchs that led the Chinese Rite of the Templar Order. It is with the jian, and not the Hidden Blade as is usual for an Assassin, that she assassinated four of the Tigers, including their leader Zhang Yong at the Great Wall in 1532, whereupon she was able to begin the process of reviving her branch of the Assassins.

In the early 18th century, the Chinese Assassins' Mentor Xiao Han, who similarly experienced a purge of his Brotherhood that left him as one of the branch's few survivors, wielded a jian as his weapon of choice. During his various confrontations with the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who opposed Xiao Han's mission to recover a set of three Pieces of Eden and use them to overthrow the Qing dynasty, the Mentor displayed his great mastery of the jian, his swordsmanship skills rivaling Edward's own.

Long after Shao Jun's death, the Templar-run company Abstergo Industries acquired her jian and, by 2016, kept it in storage alongside the Assassin's other equipment at the Abstergo Foundation facility in Madrid, Spain. There, they hoped that its presence would prove a physical aid for Shao Jun's imprisoned descendant Lin to better aid in her synchronization when using the Animus 4.3 to relive Shao Jun's memories.

Behind the scenes

In Chinese, jiàn (劍) is the common word for "sword" though it properly refers to any double-edged straight sword regardless of cultural origin. This is in contrast with the word dāo (刀), which refers to any single-edged, curved sword or saber.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art of Shao Jun's jian in Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
• 
  Concept art of Shao Jun's jian in the film
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  Database image of Shao Jun with her jian
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  Xiao Han confronting Sun with his jian drawn
• 
  Xiao Han wielding his jian

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Embers (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed III
• Assassin's Creed: Initiates
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
• Assassin's Creed film
• Assassin's Creed: Origins
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
• Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
• Assassin's Creed: Dynasty
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple

Non-canonical appearances

• Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm
• Assassin's Creed: The Desert Threat
• Assassin's Creed: Turbulence in the Ming Dynasty