It's a kan dao. A lot of wushu artists use it. If the pommel ring is heavy enough the heavy blade is well balanced. It's attributed to northern shaolin arts and has a southern or sil lum counterpart called a nan dao. It can be used as a single blade but looks a lot better as a double set for demonstrations. I am not an expert on this blade (or any other for that matter) but have seen them used in a few demos and have done a bit of research on martial arts weaponry in general. Hope that helps.