Category:Big Dipper on Chinese numismatic charms

One of the most famous swordmakers in Chinese history was Ou Yezi (欧冶子) who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC) of the Zhou Dynasty period. He lived near the Longyuan region in a mountainous area of the State of Yue. This area was at the time considered to be an auspicious place to forge swords because it had seven (7) natural springs which resembled the seven star constellation known as the Big Dipper. Many legendary swords in Chinese mythology forged in a configuration of springs which resembled the Big Dipper, together with the notion of yin and yang from Daoism, helped establish the belief that swords could not only be used in wars against human enemies but in battles against demons and evil spirits, as well. One prominent characteristic of Chinese swords was that their blades were frequently engraved with an image of the Big Dipper (北斗星, "bei dou xing") or "Northern Ladle Constellation". The Chinese usually refer to this star constellation as the "Ladle" (斗).