China Peasant Folding Knife

P

pogo

Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
686
I seen a picture of these a long time ago. Anyone have one? How are they? I heard almost everyone in China carries one. Where can we get one? Thanks!
 
Easier to answer with any kind of picture, so we know what you're talking about. Is it like the Spyderco Lum Chinese or the Hanwei Guangdong?
 
30 million chinese peasants starved to death under Mao. People on subsistence living do not spend money unnecessarily and I don't know where you got the idea that "almost everyone in China carries one". The typical peasant had 2 meals a day if lucky - breakfast and supper and working in a damp paddy field all day was not a good environment for a knife.

The most common folding knives I came across in HK (admittedly 50 years ago) were cheap slipjoints of 2½"-3½" - there wasn't anything special about them and most people there did not carry a knife of any sort. My older cousin (avid trophy hunter and army reserve sniper) had a SAK that I thought was just awesome and it really sticks in my mind because EDC knives or any sort were very rare. I did not get a pocket knife until I came to Australia inspite of joining the Cubs in HK. In fact I can't evem recall my father carrying a knife of any sort when we went bushwalking and he used to hunt extensively in China before WW2.

Most of the chinese knives then (as now) were unremarkable junk with weak springs and sloppy pivots that made them unsafe. Beause they were so weak, I can't recall any folding knives being in the news for any serious assaults/murders, which were usually carried out either with chinese choppers or half of a pair of large chinese scissors as these have a pointy triangular shape that made them OK for stabbing.

I'm going to be a bit cynical and suggest you pick up any cheap and garish 'made in china' folder that takes your fancy and call that a 'peasant knife' - it won't be far wrong!
 
Folks, let's drop both the inappropriate remarks as well as the political rants now.

If you cannot help the OP with his question or aid in his search there is no need to post in this thread.
 
I lived in china till 1992. To tell the truth, I don't recalling everyone carrying a pocket knife. Only trade people carried knives for professional use. As kids, we had friction folders, called "pencil knives". They were made out of sheet metal and had a lambs foot blade to it. All school children had one when I was growing up. We learned to sharpen pencils with it in kindergarten. They went out when pencil sharpeners came along.They were like a nickel or a dime. I thought I was a bada$$ with it back in kindergarten, till I cut my thumb while using it as a chopping board.

Aside from that, the only knife that every chinese house hold had in common was the chinese clever. That knife was used for just about everything. Hope this helps.

God Bless
 
Something like this ?
Greg
 

Attachments

  • Plastic-Handle-Pencil-Knife-BJ-PNF-022-.jpg
    Plastic-Handle-Pencil-Knife-BJ-PNF-022-.jpg
    48.5 KB · Views: 215
Just about. The older models had sheet metal had resembled a fish tail and the tip of the blade was round in to a sheep foot. I been looking for them for many years.

God Bless.
 
I think this thread may be a better fit over in "general"...
 
kidwholaughs said:
I lived in china till 1992. To tell the truth, I don't recalling everyone carrying a pocket knife. Only trade people carried knives for professional use. As kids, we had friction folders, called "pencil knives". They were made out of sheet metal and had a lambs foot blade to it. All school children had one when I was growing up. We learned to sharpen pencils with it in kindergarten. They went out when pencil sharpeners came along.They were like a nickel or a dime. I thought I was a bada$$ with it back in kindergarten, till I cut my thumb while using it as a chopping board.

Aside from that, the only knife that every chinese house hold had in common was the chinese clever. That knife was used for just about everything. Hope this helps.

God Bless
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
Wow - "pencil knives" don't remember seeing those in HK, only the occasional slipjoint. I left in 1960 and we were allowed only pencil sharpeners but my schools were run by the British and not the Chinese so that may account for it. As you said EDC knives were rare - apparently even the pickpockets preferred to use sharpened coins (easier to conceal) for cutting thru clothes and they were darn good at it. I remember our cook coming home crying, ~$200 poorer and with a big slit thru her pants. She never felt a thing.
 
One of these?

Photo_2.JPG
 
Esav Benyamin said:
There's something fishy about that knife.
Click to expand...

Hey now, I searched a long time for that picture... :p

Actually there have twice been (supposed Chinese peasant) knives similar to that one (but not quite so fish shaped) on BRL's forum, but the pics were all links from ebay auctions which have long since expired...

As I said, this is not the exact knife I suspect the OP is talking about. The similar one I recall seeing has a curled extension on the tang with which to open the blade...

Never mind all that, it just came to me where else I saw them and here is a pic...

SMRR187.jpg

Funnily enough, these are called fish knives and are often sold as (antique) Chinese peasant knives or Chinese Sailor's knives.
 
Last edited:
I can't be positive but I think I saw something like that in my grandpas attic. I will have to look next time I go to my grandmas house. May not be one of those, but it looked similar. Didn't think anything of it when I saw it, didn't know it could contain some sort of blade.
 
well have been liveing in china for about 2 years now a fair amount of men carry a cheap all metal slip joint from the 2rmb store or plastic handled folding fruit knives teenages cary knock off tactical knives they buy from the same places they have fake prada bags and fake rolexes. heck i took a 30 rmb (a bit over $4) sanrenmu knife made out of the chinese version aus8 that was ok quality with a decent frame lock and and fairly sharp. My father in law (a chinese farmer/ construction worker) fell in love with the thing, he said it was the best, shapest pocket knife he ever used.
 
Thanks for this thread.
Those knives look very practical.
I'd like to see an up-graded version.
 
Those are them! Sad to see this turn Political. I think they are nifty little knives. Thanks!
 
markksr said:
SMRR187.jpg

Funnily enough, these are called fish knives and are often sold as (antique) Chinese peasant knives or Chinese Sailor's knives.
Click to expand...

The claim of being a sailor's knife is plausible... they appear to have a marlin spike built in to them, presumably for undoing knots on a ship.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top