Guards

[fenlander]

Good advice Chris.

yes I agree that the internet can be unreliable, however I think this forum is better than most others. I think internet forums are a great way to point beginers in the right direction. Books recommended on forums can be very useful. But I take your point about checking up on information gained from the internet as anyone can post on here or any other forum. A beginner like myself would not have a clue if they were accurate or not. Trouble is I want to learn everything at once but don't really know where to start. I can speak Chinese (read a little) and know something about the history of China as well as having studied Chinese martial arts for some time, Therefore I will start to concentrate on Chinese swords and knives (Phillip really knows a lot about China and is a walking encyclopedia on it ) I will also as a secondary pursuit learn something about the Fillipino knives and daggers as well.

[Chris Evans]

Hi fenlander,

Originally Posted by fenlander

Good advice Chris.

yes I agree that the internet can be unreliable, however I think this forum is better than most others. I think internet forums are a great way to point beginers in the right direction. Books recommended on forums can be very useful. But I take your point about checking up on information gained from the internet as anyone can post on here or any other forum. A beginner like myself would not have a clue if they were accurate or not. Trouble is I want to learn everything at once but don't really know where to start. I can speak Chinese (read a little) and know something about the history of China as well as having studied Chinese martial arts for some time, Therefore I will start to concentrate on Chinese swords and knives (Phillip really knows a lot about China and is a walking encyclopedia on it ) I will also as a secondary pursuit learn something about the Fillipino knives and daggers as well.

Yes, I agree that this forum is a couple of notches above the rest, but that's because we collectors are such nice and reasonable, not to mention scholarly people

As someone who has a command over Chinese, not to mention excellent English, your input will be invaluable and greatly appreciated. One of my greatest frustrations re oriental weapons is that I am forever compelled to rely on secondary or often poorly translated sources.

Cheers
Chris

[fenlander]

Thanks Chris