Editing Jian (section)

==Materials==
[[File:Iron sword and two bronze swords, Warring States Period.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|An [[iron]] sword and two [[bronze]] swords from the Chinese [[Warring States period]]]]
Jian were originally made from [[bronze]], then [[steel]] as metal technology advanced. There are some, perhaps [[Ceremonial weapon|ceremonial]], jian which are carved from a single solid piece of [[jade]].

Traditional jian blades are usually of ''sanmei'' (three plate) construction, which involved sandwiching a core of hard steel between two plates of softer steel. The central plate protrudes slightly from its surrounding pieces, allowing for a sharp edge, while the softer spine protects the brittle core. Some blades had ''wumei'' or five plate construction, with two more soft plates being used at the central ridge.<ref>Rodell 2003, pp.16-17</ref> Bronze jian were often made in a somewhat similar manner: in this case an alloy with a high copper content would be used to make a resilient core and spine, while the edge would be made from a high-tin-content alloy for sharpness and welded onto the rest of the blade.

The sword smiths of China are often credited with the [[forge|forging]] technologies that traveled to Vietnam, Japan and Korea to allow sword smiths there to create such weapons as the [[katana]]. These technologies include folding, inserted alloys, and [[differential hardening]] of the edge.<ref>Sugawara 1998, pp.298-299</ref><ref>Rodell 2003, p. 17</ref> While the Japanese would be more influenced by the Chinese [[Dao (Chinese sword)|dāo]] (single-edged swords of various forms), the early Japanese swords known as ''ken'' are often based on jian. The Korean version of the jian is known as the ''[[Korean sword|geom]]'' or ''gum'', and these swords often preserve features found in Ming-era jian, such as openwork pommels and sharply angled tips.

In martial art schools wooden swords are used for training, so most martial arts students' first experience with a jian in modern times is with one of those weapons. Before schools were a formal way of passing on sword knowledge, students may have begun with a simple wooden stick when training with their teacher.<ref>Xia 2017 pp.30</ref> In some religious [[Taoist]] sects, those wooden practice swords have come to have an [[esoteric]] ritual purpose. Some claim that these wooden swords [[metaphor]]ically represent the discipline of an accomplished student.

Contemporary jian are often [[forge]]d (shaped with heat and hammer) and assembled by mostly traditional methods for training of practitioners of Chinese martial arts around the world. These jian vary greatly in quality and historical accuracy.

Contemporary jian are also sometimes [[forgery|forgeries]] (artificially aged and misrepresented as antiques) for sale to tourists and collectors who cannot distinguish them from true antiques.