Wan Laisheng 萬籟聲, in his book, The Quintessence of Chinese Martial Artistry 武術匯宗, describes the iconic clothing of the ‘swallows’:
A silk garb of black or dark grey, with knee-length trousers measuring one foot and two inches (Chinese measurement) wide at the bottom of each leg. As the cumbersome bodice makes undressing difficult, bowel functions are performed through the wide legs of the trousers. The upper parts of the outfit consist of a tightly-buttoned shirt and a “pouch of a thousand treasures” in which medicines, chemicals, and other paraphernalia are carried.
An alternative to to this pouch is the “nine dragons sack,” a vest like garment with double-lining. These are usually made of leather, which is soft and resilient. The next article is a darts pouch, black in colour, one foot long and five inches wide, with flaps on top. Tied across the torso is a “flying claw” for scaling heights.
A sword is attached to the waist, one end secured by the belt and the other fastening at the left shoulder. This sword is known as the “demon head sword.” It measures two feet long and is exceptionally sharp, thin, and light.
A length of cloth is wrapped around each leg to provide protection (leggings). A dagger with its shaft pointing upwards is placed inside the cloth of each leg. The daggers are each five inches long, five fractions of an inch wide. Light and thin they are sharp on both sides.
A black silk cloth, three yards two feet long, one foot two inches wide, covers the head. In some cases sleeping caps are used. The sandals worn are made of woven hemp and hair. Thus fully attired, the prowler may embark on his rounds.
The drugs and chemicals he carries, include potions to induce fainting and explosives.1
Authors Notes:
1/ The clothing mentioned above should not be viewed as a specific uniform. Night clothing 夜行衣 – which indeed existed in history – varied among the ‘swallow community’ (stealth operators) during the Qing 大清 Dynasty and the Republican Era 民國時期. However, the essence can be broadly characterized: typically, it consisted of black or very dark attire, a distinctive mask/head dress, a flying claw, a sword, and hand-thrown projectiles.
2/ For the Warrior Heart School 戰士心門, Master Kwan Yuen Cheong 關潤昌 stated very clearly that using any color – other than black – was only to be used if black was not available at all.
3/ Poisons, explosives, and other items, would have depended on the mission and the ‘jin paradox 斤弔詭‘ – which, in short, is the paradox of needing to carry weight, vs being light and agile as a stealth operator must.
