# Communities > Antique Arms & Armour Community > Chinese, South-East Asia (CSEA) >  chinese website with silver shan dha

## Nathaniel Hope

Does any one recall the thread that someone had posted a link to a chinese website that made dha...probably from Yunnan province they looked similar to the silver dha you see from the shan state of burma?  I can't remember if it was this forum or not?

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## Landau Lau

Do you mean #9 of the following?

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=87801

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## Nathaniel Hope

Landau,

Yes, that is exactly the website I was talking about!  Thanks.  I was wondering what you thought of the dao you received from them.  Do you have any pictures of them??

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## Landau Lau

Nathaniel
I received 3 daos from achangdao.com in early April, 08. Due to Olympic Beijing, Chinese govt. demanded, since May, 08, 100% stopping transportation of edged weapons until further notice. My latest advise is that the restriction will be released in Oct. 08. I am still waiting eagerly for another 2 daos I ordered from achangdao.net.

My friends took some pictures in April, 08 but shamefully I do not know how to attach pictures in this forum. Usually, I rely on my staffs on many computer tasks in Hong Kong. Can you PM me so I can email you the pictures and you post here for me? I know how to attach files in email but not in forum.

My thinkings/impressions of the three daos I received already? It is quite complex to reply but I try my best.

I had bought a DHA from cozun and I think it is easier to express my feelings with comparision between both.

I found some dents/imperfections on surfaces of all 3 achangdaos. Viewing the blades from certain angles, I can see 'waves' in 1/2 small areas. In other words, that portion is not flat. I do not find such 'symdoms' from Cozun's. Achangdao.com had explained that the blade is hand forged from spring steel and mixing with some other materials including steel. The 1 cm. area from the cutting edge upwards is spring steel and the further upward portion is more iron. This provides a hard cutting edge but a resislant ridge, thus more functional during real combat. The above 2 imperfections cannot be avoided from the hand forging/filing process. I reserve my comments on this explanation until I receive the daos from achangdao.net, of which the smith is champions in 2006/07/08.

All the guards/collars etc. are hand made and the quality is fair but acceptable with consideration of a small village very near Burma and a long period of weak link up to big cities and industrial resources.

Exotic hardwood is used for handle and scaboard. Finishing is lower than Cozun's. I sand down and refinish the handles of two daos. The other one is using buffalo horn as material for handle. I do not recommend ordering handle with buffalo horn as the workmanship is poor. If I received the other dao from achangdao.net with good buffalo horn, I will notice here again.

I must mention here that both scaboards from Achangdao.com and Cozun received by me need some minor fix up of the internal portion to avoid scratching of the blade.

As a conclusion, I am satisfied with both as they provide the real 'money value'. I am mostly satisfied with a custom made Zhan Ma Dao in 1.2M overall (0.6/0.6M blade/handle). 

In 2007 Husadao competition, there are 'double champions'. One is the smith of achangdao.net and the other is a young guy (under 30). He recently can afford establish a web site and I will advise it in separate thread. You will like the video in the site.

Hope this lengthly reply answers your questions. Please advise me how to email you pictures.

Regards.

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## Landau Lau

Following is web site of Lousidong, one of the double champions in 2007.

http://www.lchsd.cn/Index.html

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## Landau Lau

first trial to upload pics. Custom made from Yunan, Achangdao.com. Total length 1.2m. Blade/handle 1:1.

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## Landau Lau

I attached more photos of the Zhan Ma Dao. I found two interesting points related to the hand guard (tsuba).

First, the hole in the tsuba is considerably bigger than the thickness of the blade. My best conclusion is the tang is passed through the tsuba and some wedges are inserted from the blade side through the tsuba into the handle. In the process, I guess that some kind of glue was used as I found some black filling. May be the kind of glue used by Thais and the Nepalese?

Second, the hole in the tsuba is not centred but shifted slightly towards the edge side. When I hold the handle, I found a perfect fit. When you close the fingers around, and look from upper position, you can see the fingers to be protected is thinner than the palm to back portion. Ancient experience of eronomics?

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## Landau Lau

Attached pictures of TANG DAO. Star on blade near the guard is 'trademark/symbol' of the smith - a practise in the trade of the yunan bladesmiths.

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## Landau Lau

http://bbs.hl365.net/thread-346231-1-71.html

Above is a thread in Chinese collectors forum. The thread shows a jian shaped dao copied from an antique obtained by the starter of the thread in Yunan in 2004. The smith is the master smith of achangdao.net.

I believe the toppest 3 photos are taken upon arrival of the dao covered with a layer of oil and tacked with dust. The latters show the dao cleaned up.

Following link provides some good quality pictures of Lousidong.

http://bbs.hl365.net/thread-434740-1-1.html

Burma blackwood scaboard with 420 grams pure silver.

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