Hello Fangmodao,
I would like to welcome you as well, and thank you for the great swords you have posted! We very much need more input on Chinese weapons here, and what you say is absolutely correct...the best defense against the array of false antique weapons is knowledge!
I especially like the peidao sabre you have posted as it carries so much history and the mounts reflect its attribution to probably one of the higher princely degrees of the early Qing dynasty (began 1644) with the form being used well into the 19th century. These squared, angular mounts are termed 'fangshi' and reflect both civil and military use at that level. The quadrangular grip and the openwork trapezoidal pommel are also key to these type sabres. The discoid 'pan hushou' guard which on this example is beaded as also often seen on sabres mounted in this fashion, and typically en suite with the openwork pommels. It is notable that this type decoration is also associated with many key Tibetan swords, with that association seeming to carry influence in other elements of these mounts.
I always like these heavy blades with slight upturn of the point, which reflect the Turco-Mongol ancestry of these sabres. Eventually the blades gave way to the lighter blade forms, so it is often tempting to presume an earlier date for the wider, heavier examples, although certainly not always the case.
An excellent article written by Philip Tom in the "Metropolitan Museum Journal" (" Some Notable Sabres of the Qing Dynasty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art", Vol.36, 2001) gives a brilliant perspective on these and a number of Chinese sabres. An outstanding example of one of these peidao is shown also in "Ancient Weapons from the Collection of the State History Museum in Moscow" (1993, ISBN 5-900449-01-7, No.34, pp.70-71) which carries most of the same characteristics.
Best regards,
Jim
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