File:1000px-Chinese Cannon.jpg

Summary
Not made by me. Not scanned by me. Original page: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_Cannon.JPG A 14th century illustration of a Chinese cannon, or eruptor, which fired proto-shells as cast iron bombs. This illustration was featured in the 14th century military treatise of the Huolongjing, edited and compiled by Liu Ji and Jiao Yu, with the preface added in 1412. This specific cannon was called the "flying-cloud thunderclap eruptor" (feiyun pilipao). The smaller shells did not have an exact fit with the bore, but a kind of wad or cradle for the is shown.

This illustration also appears on page 266 of Joseph Needham's book Science and Civilization in China: Volume 5, Part 7.