Ancient Chinese Crossbows

The crossbow had a range of up to 650 feet. The crossbow had a firing mechanism, which was so complicated that it would have been nearly impossible for an enemy to understand how it worked. The crossbow was not invented as an instrument of war, but as a peacemaking device. It was invented to calm the fighting between states at the end of the Zhou dynasty. The crossbow was considered so advanced that around 200 BC, a law was passed to prevent people from taking crossbows out of China, for fear that enemies would replicate them.