Women and weapons in Chinese culture is a complex topic. There seem to be two very strong apposing modes. On the one hand, you have the traditional woman with bound feet and a subservient role who could never fight. On the other hand you have a very long tradition of female fighters in literature and reality. They seem to have always been a small minority who fought, but skilled women were considered the equal of men. The jian was considered a woman's weapon even though it was mostly men who used them. I think it was with jian that women were particularly the equals of men due to the emphasis of quickness over strength with the sword. The Manchu did not use women in the regular army, but did consider that they should learn archery and horsemanship just like the men. The Manchu tried several times to forbid foot binding specifically because it made women week and unfit to ride.
The monasteries of China have a long martial tradition, and often had associated nunneries with fighting nuns and their own styles. In my system of kungfu there are many women's systems, among them one dedicated to the only female of the eight immortals. It uses hairpins, needles/darts, and a short sword strapped to the back. Unfortunately it is only taught as an empty hand form today.
Josh
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