Chinese farmer discovers his kitchen knife is actually the ancient 'Green Dragon Sword'

Sword
(Image credit: Photo courtesy Huhan Provincial Museum)

Memo to farmers: If you happen upon a rusty old blade in the ground, please don't use it in the kitchen. Yi Shouxiang, a 60-year-old farmer in Chongqing province, China, stumbled upon a sword on his land five years back and liked it so much, he turned it into a kitchen knife, Shanghaiist reports. He apparently used it to chop stuff for years before government officials visiting his farm realized its value. Unfortunately, Yi had the blade polished and sharpened, which has made studying the find difficult. Still, researchers estimate it's from the Qing Dynasty about 300 years ago. They've even deciphered its name from characters etched onto the blade: "Green Dragon Sword." Not bad for a chef's knife!

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Nico Lauricella

Nico Lauricella was editor-in-chief at TheWeek.com. He was formerly the site's deputy editor and an editor at The Huffington Post.