Nunchaku

Popularized by actor Bruce Lee (On video), it is not a Chinese weapon, but Japanese, or more precisely, coming from Okinawa

Short weapons (Misikai Mono) come in opposition to long weapons (Nagai Mono). These weapons were born in the island of Okinawa in the thirteenth century. (See Kobudo weapons).
The three or four branch nunchakus, connected by a long chain, were used outdoors in open ground.  
In a room or wooded area , we preferred a shorter Nunchaku connected with a rope. The chain connecting the two parts of the nunchaku obeyed a concern for efficiency; In fact, the peasants quickly realized that the blade of a sword the blade cut the leather.  
The Japanese scourge or Nunchaku now consists of two pieces of wood with an octagonal structure connected by a chain or a nylon braid. 
Its length varies between 30 and 60 centimeters. Like most Kobudo weapons, it is a technical derivative of karate and it seems difficult to separate its use from the movements of this Martial art.
The nunchaku appears like a complete weapon favoring a close combat and at a distance, against one or several opponents, possibly equipped with edged weapons .
Its technique is very similar to that of karate and for good reason:  since the inhabitants of Okinawa had created the arms of Kobudo to make their methods of combat precisely more efficient, the Okinawa-Te (ancestor of Karate).

Source F.Morvan-Denègre