Chinese armour China has a long history of armour and weapons development . China has many varieties of armour , but the most common were of the lamellar , coat of plates , brigandine and scaled varieties . Ancient Armour : Shang to Han . Initially , armour was exclusively for nobles . The earliest known armour used by the warriors of the Shang dynasty was light plated armour made from turtle shells tied together with cords . Later , bronze and leather armour was introduced , and simple one - piece breastplates , coat of plates and lamellar cuirasses began to appear . Most of these were highly elaborate and decorated , and were often very heavy . The majority of noblemen fought mounted on war chariot s , so the weight of the armour was not a major factor in its construction . After the defeat of the Shang , the Zhou Dynasty used many weapons and types of equipment that originally came from the Shang . However , the Zhou incorporated some of their own different styles of armour . One type was the " gé jiǎ " ( ) , a sleeveless coat of animal hide formed on a wooden dummy . The hide used was of buffalo and rhinoceros . Because of the disappearance of the rhinoceros in the region , buffalo came to be most common material . Another type of armour used by the Zhou was the " wei jia " , made of boiled leather with a fabric backing . Red lacquer was often used to form a protective layer for most armour used by the Zhou . Chariots were used extensively during the Spring and Autumn Period . The chariots were mainly used as a shock weapon and a platform for archers . Since the chariot was restricted to flat terrain , charioteers could be defeated when battling well - organized infantry . Shang chariots were often drawn by two horses ; later , the Zhou introduced a four - horse chariot . The crew of the chariot was made up of noblemen , so all would have worn armour . Zhou chariots were protected by leather , and sometimes came with a canopy to protect the crew from the weather , but this was probably removed before going into battle . Chariot horses were protected by a blanket made of animal skins , with tiger skin being most popular , though sometimes horses wore lamellar peytral made of leather , which protected the horses ' chests and necks . Chariot use declined during the Warring States period , probably because of the introduction of the crossbow and cavalry . Most of the kingdoms of the Warring States maintained large armies , numbering anywhere from 30 , 000 to 100 , 000 . With the technology and resources of the time , it was not possible to provide all soldiers with armour . Armour was most common for wealthier or higher ranked soldiers . During the Warring States era , most armour was made of leather or bronze ( occasionally iron ) , or a combination of both . The metal that was used most for military purposes was bronze . Cast iron began to appear in the 5th century BC , but did not begin to replace bronze until the 2nd century BC . Most infantrymen wore lamellar or coat of plates cuirasses . The lamellar cuirass worn by these men was made of hundreds of small overlapping metal and / or leather plates laced together to make a flexible and light coat of armour . Coat of plates consisted of hundreds of small non - overlapping metal or leather plates stitched or riveted together . Shoulder guards and helmets were often used , but leather caps seem to have been more common for ground infantry . During much of the Warring States period , most light cavalry units served as skirmishers - thus armour for cavalry was rare , as it was not seen as necessary . Armour for heavier cavalry tended to be lighter than that of the infantry . Cavalry armour was usually constructed entirely of leather , and lacked shoulder protection . However , during the late Warring States era and the dynasties succeeding it , cavalry armour gradually become heavier and more elaborate . ( i . e . Heavy Cavalry with full body protection for both rider and horse , ranging from coat of plates to lamellar from the Han Dynasty or elaborate interlocking triangular scales from the Tang and Song Dynasty ) Most evidence for armour development during this period comes from the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang . Some terracotta warriors wore no armour ; it is suggested that most were conscripts playing the role of skirmishers or support troops for the chariots . They are armed with crossbows and were usually placed at the front of formations . Because of the early use of crossbow technology , these conscripts may not have need armour for close fighting , instead adapting more mobile tactics similar to rifle or musket shooting by rows . Of the terra cotta warriors thus uncovered , Pit 1 has approximately 61 percent of the soldiers wearing armour , Pit 2 over 90 percent , and pit 3 , being in a command compound , 100 percent . Traces of black paint on these figures suggest that the Qin may have used black lacquered plates to form coat of plates and lamellar for their armour . Many different styles of armour were found , but examples of armours from ancient China are rare . Qin Shi Huang ordered weapons , and probably armour too , to be destroyed by fire . This is likely the reason that so few examples of ancient armour exist today . After the fall of the Qin in 207 BC came the rise of the Han Dynasty in 202 BC . During the Han Dynasty , new style of armour such as scale corselet made of leather and / or iron were adopted . During this time period , the primary metal used in armour was iron , and occasionally steel . Early Han soldiers would have used armour and weapons produced during the Qin era . The Western Han army had armour standardized to meet the need . Armour used by the Han included coats of plates ; " 两当铠 " ( liang - tang , or " double - faced " armour ) ; and lamellar cuirases made of metal or leather that was suspended over the shoulders by cords . This armour was used by both the infantry and the cavalry . A much heavier and more expensive version , consisting of metal plates laced together , was worn by officers . Shields were used by both infantry and cavalry . These shields were usually made of wood and often reinforced by a metal centre and rim . Armour for horses began to appear around the end of the Han dynasty , but the earliest armour yet found dates to the year 302 AD . During the Three Kingdoms Period , fully armoured cavalry ( armour covering both the rider and horse ) were extensively used as shock troops . Early horse armour came in one piece , but later horse armour came in multiple pieces : chanfron ( head protector ) ; neck guards ; chest guards ; shoulder guards ; flank pieces ; and crupper . Most cavalry served as mounted archers , and sometimes removed their arm protection to use their bows or crossbows . Medieval armour . Elaborate ancient Chinese armour development includes the " 山文铠 " ( " Shan Wen Kai " or " Mountain pattern armour " ) . It began to appear during the Tang dynasty and was further perfected during the Song dynasty . It is made from a multitude of small pieces of steel that are vaguely shaped like the Chinese character for the word " 山 " ( The pronunciation is " shān " , meaning mountain ) . This would thus explain its name . The pieces are then interlocked and riveted to a cloth or leather backing . It effectively covers the torso , the shoulders and the thighs while remaining comfortable and flexible enough to allow movement . Also during this time , Chinese senior officers used mirror armour , which installed " 护心镜 " ( sound " hùxīnjìnɡ " , meaning protect - heart mirror ) to enhance " important " body parts , the " Other " body parts were covered in cloth , leather , lamellar , and / or Mountain pattern ; this overall design was called " 明光甲 " ( sound " mínɡɡuānɡjiǎ " , meaning bright armour ) most likely the enhanced parts reflect sunlight . Mail armour was introduced to China when its allies in Central Asia paid tribute to the Tang Emperor in 718 AD by giving him a coat of " link armour " assumed to be chainmail . China first encountered the armour in 384 AD when its allies in the nation of Kuchi arrived wearing " armor similar to chains " . Once in China mail was imported , with the main source being Persia , but was not produced widely . Before the Yuan and Ming Dynasties mail armour was precious , typically belonging to high ranks and those who could afford it , rather than the armour of the rank and file , who used the much cheaper , more familiar , easier to produce , and less laborious to maintain traditional armours such as lamellar armour . These armour types better suited the needs of the Chinese , who had to produce large quantities of armour quickly for their forces in instances of rebellion or external strife . Late Chinese Armour . By the 19th century , most armour was worn mainly for ceremonial purposes and was an indicator of rank . The kind of armour that was largely used was the brigandine , a type of armour consisting of a leather or cloth garment lined with metal plates inside . Sometimes , the plates were made in different sizes and shapes to maximize protection . The Chinese brigandine comes in five pieces : the vest , pauldron s , skirting , underarm , and groin section . By contrast , the Korean version of this armour is a single piece . Brigandines were first seen in China and Korea in the 12th century AD and were used up to the 19th century . Armour use began to decline after the introduction of firearms , but shields continued to be used . Most Chinese soldiers of the times went without armour of any kind and mostly wore civilian - style clothing . Etymology . There are two common Chinese translations for " armour : " 甲 ( " jiǎ " ) and 鎧 / 铠 ( " kǎi " ) . " Kǎi " , includes the generic character for " metal " , ( 金 ) as its radical , while " jiǎ " does not , thus implying that " jiǎ " was not made of metal . " Jiǎ " itself comes from " guījiǎ " ( 龟甲 ) , meaning " tortoise shell " or " ancient armour " . Regardless of material , usually said 甲 ( " jiǎ " ) , or 鎧 / 铠 ( " kǎi " ) . " Kǎi " , or even said 鎧 / 铠甲 ( " kǎijiǎ " ) since the Tang Dynasty .