What are the means of transportation in ancient China?

"Traveling on land by car, traveling on water by boat, traveling on mud by sled, traveling on mountains by riding a horse" is a summary of the performance of several major means of transportation in ancient times. Generally speaking, transportation can be divided into two categories: animal power and human power. Animal power transportation includes mule carts, ox carts, donkey carts, sheep carts, carts, donkeys, camels, horses, etc. Human-powered means of transportation include boats, rickshaws, tricycles, sedans, white bridges, shoulders, picks, ice beds, etc.

Ancient means of transportation include:

1. Mule cart, also known as sedan, is a type of vehicle driven by mules. According to Mr. Chen Yucheng, the mule cart was the main means of transporting people in Beijing before the Revolution of 1911. It has always been known as the "Beijing Car". The mule cart consists of four parts: the body, the wheels and axles, the body, and the harness. The car body has four parts: the shaft, the front panel, the carriage, and the rear tail. The main body is the carriage. The carriage has a dome-shaped ceiling, doors and windows. Official mule carts have taller wheels and thinner spokes. The hub is convex and the axle is slightly longer. It is commonly known as "Shaanxi foot". The wheels of ordinary mule carts are commonly known as "dumb feet", and the wheels of sports cars are particularly heavy to prevent them from tipping over. The Beijing mule cart's axle (bearing) is very famous, and it makes a very clear and sweet sound when the cart is moving. When the car was running fast, it sounded from a distance as if the "single skin" of the Peking Opera drum was "firing a silk whip". Only craftsmen in Beijing had the skills to make such axles. Car enclosures can be divided into inner enclosures and outer enclosures. The outer part is made of blue cloth, which is rolled up about half a foot away from the chassis of the car. The rolled part is made of variegated satin and edged with black satin, which is called the handle. The lower part of the inner wall is made of variegated satin and trimmed with black, which is called the sleeping compartment. The upper part and roof are mostly white or light blue. In summer, screen windows of different sizes are opened on both sides of the perimeter. A blue cloth is placed on top of the screen window to provide shade, and a blackened silk curtain is placed underneath, which is called a small tent. There is also a sunshade in front of the car, called a big tent. When the sun goes down or when driving at night, the big tent is removed when it is no longer needed. In summer, in order to ventilate the carriage, the inner wall is removed, leaving only the sleeping compartment and the roof, which are covered with curtains to prevent the sun. On a rainy day, put a gas tarp outside the car. In winter, the car is covered with gray or yellow Pulu snow. The set includes the saddle, splint, halter, reins and other items used by the mule when driving the shaft. Those with larger saddles are called big-saddled carriages, and are mostly ridden by princes, nobles and Manchu wives. There are three coachmen, two holding the shaft and one leading the mule, all on foot. There are also small saddle cars, which are widely used and can be used by everyone. In the late Qing Dynasty, some dandy boys often competed in the production and decoration of small saddle cars. Most of the mules used in Beijing's mule carts come from Shaanxi, known as "Xikou". Those with long necks, broad chests, thin waists and thin shins are preferred. The best coat colors are "satin black", "pheasant red", "chrysanthemum green", "hidden needles in the ink", "fragrant green", etc. Beijing's handlebar technology is very advanced. In Dashilan, the most prosperous area, the road can only accommodate two vehicles. Beijing's mule drivers can avoid both people and vehicles with very few accidents. In the past, mule carts in Beijing were used both for personal use and for business purposes. Needless to say, those for personal use; those for business are specially used to transport guests. But there is only one item called "Zhankouer". The so-called "Zhankou" means that mule cart operators wait for passengers to rent seats at a fixed alley entrance during the day. At first, I usually drive the cart myself. When my income gets better, I will tie up another cart, or hire someone to drive the cart on my behalf.

2. A mule-backed sedan is a kind of sedan driven by two mules. This form of transportation is essentially a sedan chair, but this kind of sedan is not carried by 2, 4, or 8 people at the front and back. Instead, there is a mule at the front and back carrying the sedan poles, so it is called a mule-backed sedan. This kind of sedan is slightly larger than ordinary sedans and can seat 2 people. The sedan is equipped with bedding for lying down on, making it a means of transportation suitable for long-distance travel. Generally, you can travel hundreds of miles a day. During the trip, two people were driving mules, one was on foot, and the other was riding a donkey.

3. Donkey cart is a cart pulled by donkeys. In the past, there were many donkey carts in Beijing. Later, mule-carts and horse-drawn carriages became more popular, while donkey-carts gradually decreased. Donkey carts are also divided into those for personal use and those for business. Donkey carts for personal use, such as grain stores that have their own donkey carts for delivery. Farmers in the suburbs have donkey carts for their own use, which they use to haul manure into the city or sell fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products. Commercial donkey carts are used to transport passengers. There are two types: "Zhankou" and "Runzi". "Zhankouer" is like a business mule cart, waiting for hired customers at a certain place, either giving them a ride, or chartering a car back and forth. "Paopaizi" is also called "paopaohai" or "paopaizi", which means driving a donkey cart back and forth along a certain route to solicit tourists. In the past, there were buses from Tianqiao to Yongdingmen, from Dongsi to Chaoyangmen, and from Xizhimen to Haidian. There is a price for taking a train from a certain place to a certain place. Because this kind of car is relatively simple, the price is also very cheap. Passengers who arrive early grab the front seats, which are more comfortable. Those who came later sat cross-legged in the carriage, which was quite painful. The last person to get on the bus has to sit at the back and is in danger of being knocked off. After the Republic of China, this kind of donkey cart gradually disappeared.

4. Bullock carts. In the past, Beijing’s bullock carts were mainly used by charitable institutions to pick up infant corpses. There is a large wooden box on the bullock cart with a hole in the back. A yellow cloth plaque hangs on the hole with the four words "Land Cihang" written on it. Every day at dawn, someone in the nursery drives an oxcart around. When they encounter the corpses of infants, most of which are illegitimate children who were strangled to death, they pick them up and put them into the large wooden box on the oxcart through the entrance of the cave. Some of the babies who were picked up were still alive and could be revived, and were also adopted in the nursery.

5. Sheep cart, this is a small and light gondola specially made by a few people, driven by a goat. It can be used to carry one or two children out for fun.

6. Ride a donkey. Donkeys are livestock that are easy to raise and relatively tame and durable. Riding a donkey is convenient and trouble-free. In the past, there were many people riding donkeys in Beijing.

On the first day of May in the fifteenth year of Kangxi's reign (1676), there was a strong wind in Beijing. Someone rode a donkey passing in front of Zhengyang Gate. He was lifted up by the wind and landed at Chongwen Gate. Both the man and the donkey were safe. There are also people in Beijing who keep donkeys for business and invite customers to ride them. From Xinjiekou to Xizhimen, Jiaodaokou to Andingmen, Dongsi to Chaoyangmen and other streets, there are many such business donkeys. From Xuanwumen to Baiyunguan, there are more donkeys for business, so that people can go to Baiyunguan to attend temple fairs, offer incense or have fun. Therefore, the street along the east river of today's Xuanwumen was formerly known as the Donkey Market. The donkeys here seem to be more intelligent. After the customer pays to ride on them, the donkey does not need to be followed by the donkey driver. The donkey takes the initiative to carry the customer and quickly runs to Baiyun Temple, stopping still until the customer comes down. As early as in Baiyunguan, the co-donkey driver picked up the guests and patted the donkey's body with his hand, and the donkey spontaneously ran back to the donkey market. This is probably because this kind of donkey has gained experience by traveling between the Donkey Market and Baiyun Temple day after day and year after year. Donkeys can not only be ridden by people, but also carry goods.

7. Camels, with their docile, hard-working and hard-working nature, are better than donkeys and mules for carrying goods. In the past, there were many camel households who relied on camels in the Shijingshan area in the western suburbs of Beijing and the Nanyuan area in the southern suburbs. They raise a few camels to carry their burdens or do business to earn a living. A pigger is someone who carries goods for others and earns a small amount of money. Those who run the business pull camels to transport goods to other places, earning both a small amount of money and a profit on goods. In the old days, camel households in Beijing mainly carried coal from Mentougou, camel ash from the Dahui Factory, camel wood from Xishanli, etc., for delivery or sales in Beijing. The number of camels being pulled is calculated by "handles". There are 8 large handles and 6 small handles. Generally, one person can pull a camel. In order to help each other along the way, several of them often go together. However, after the Republic of China, modern transportation gradually developed, and there were new restrictions on camel teams entering Beijing. Only three camels were allowed in a handful. If there were 6 or 8 in a handful, the front and back would be six to seven feet or eight to nine feet long, which would affect the traffic in the city. In the past, camels in Beijing were imported from abroad. According to Mr. Chen Qi, his grandfather made a fortune selling camels. However, camel pulling is mainly busy in spring, autumn and winter, especially winter. In summer, camels are driven outside the mouth to graze.

8. Rickshaw, also known as foreign cart or "rubber", more commonly known as Oriental cart or rickshaw in the south, is a human-powered passenger vehicle introduced to China from Japan in the late Qing Dynasty. Everyone has seen the shape of this kind of car in movies and TV shows. Two wheels support a semicircular or square carriage. There are two long handlebars in front of the body. One person sits on the car, and the other The driver pulled the car away. The first rickshaw that appeared in Beijing was called an iron cart (the wheels were made of iron, hence the name). It was a royal cart given to the Empress Dowager Cixi by the Japanese (it is now on display in the Summer Palace). Later, some people in Beijing imitated it, so in the late Qing Dynasty, iron wagons were often seen in the streets of Beijing. After the Republic of China, the shape of the car changed a lot. The iron wheels were replaced by rubber wheels, and the carriages were mostly changed into semicircular ones. Available in black, brown, and yellow. At that time, there were "Xifuxing" in Hufangqiao, "Dongfuxing" in Chongwai Shangsantiao, "Maoshun" in Donghuamen Street, "Huaxin" in Xisi, as well as "Qishun" and "Shuangheshun". ", "Yelai" and other brands are the most famous rickshaw manufacturers. The rich, powerful and celebrities often buy their own rickshaws and hire someone to pull them. A large number of rickshaws belong to some rickshaw factories, and poor rickshaw drivers rent rickshaws to solicit customers; such as the "Maliu" rickshaw factory on Chaoyangmen Street, the "Business" rickshaw factory, and the "Wufutang" rickshaw factory in Chongwai headlines, etc., are all large-scale, they Each owns between one and two hundred cars. Some small car factories only have 20, 30 or 10 or 20 vehicles. In the old days of Beijing, rickshaws were the main means of transportation. At intersections and alley entrances, there are often three to five or a dozen rickshaws waiting for seats. Especially in theaters, restaurants, bathhouses, Dong'an market, Xidan shopping malls, hotels, railway stations, overpasses, parks, Bada Hutongs (brothels), etc., there are more rickshaws waiting for customers. Those who pull rickshaws are divided into day and night shifts, and there are also those who pull monthly rickshaws and those who pull free rickshaws. The more famous rickshaw pullers also received nicknames such as "Yi Yan'er", "Ili Horse", and "Flower Pants Waist". In the old society, rickshaw pullers in Beijing were extremely hard and miserable. They endured brutal exploitation by car factory owners and were often extorted by some rogue police officers. Going out early and coming back late every day, running around the streets, earning a few dollars is just enough to survive. After the founding of New China, rickshaws were completely cancelled.

9. Tricycles only appeared on the streets of Beijing in the late 1930s. According to Mr. Ren Youde's recollection, the first tricycle in Beijing was given to the traitor Jiang Chaozong by the Japanese invaders. Later, the number of tricycles gradually increased and became one of the important means of transportation in Beijing. The tricycle relies on the driver to move on the pedals, which is more labor-intensive than the rickshaw, and can pull two people. There are still passenger tricycles on the streets of Beijing. The cargo-carrying tricycle is a flatbed and is called a flatbed tricycle.

10. A handcart is a wheelbarrow. The wheels are under the body, centered. The second handlebar is at the back, with a handlebar at the end. When pushing a cart, put the loops on the back of the neck and shoulders, hold the handlebars with both hands, and push forward to push the wheels. The wheel axle was originally made of wood, which was bulky and difficult to push. When the car is running, the axle rubs against the car lugs, making a squeaking sound. It was later improved to rubber wheel bearings, making the cart labor-saving and noiseless. The trolley has a wide range of functions, it can carry people and transport goods. In the old days, most of the water sellers, vegetable sellers, and manure collectors in Beijing, as well as farmers who transported soil, manure, and crops and grain, used pushcarts.

11. Wedding sedan and white sedan. In the past, ordinary people in Beijing also used sedan chairs. Generally, the sedan used for weddings is called a wedding sedan, and the sedan used for funerals is called a white sedan.

The wedding sedan is where the bride rides when she gets married. It is usually a red sedan with four bearers, two on each side. In some places, in addition to the red sedan, there are two green bridges for the groom's wife and the bride's wife. After the 1920s, new-style weddings became popular, and Beijingers gradually switched to horse-drawn carriages or cars to welcome their brides. The white sedan chair was used by wealthy families in the old days for funerals. The custom in old Beijing is that the younger generation sitting in funerals ride in a white sedan chair. If you are a woman, it is limited to married people. Unmarried women cannot sit in a white sedan chair.

12. Carrying, carrying and carrying burdens. Shoulder carrying, commonly known as "wobo'er", is an industry in old Beijing. People in this business mainly move people or deliver dowries on their behalf. A very small number of "woboer craftsmen" carried valuable furnishings for the royal family. Such "woboer craftsmen" were responsible for the management of the rope warehouse of Maoqin Hall in the palace. Nesting requires certain skills. Most people cannot nest long, tall, heavy and fragile objects. Their "nest" method is to first place the objects to be moved on a rectangular wooden board one and a half feet long and one foot and seventy-eight feet wide, and tie them with soft ropes. Then two people lifted it up and placed it on the shoulders of the "woboer craftsman" who was padded with a cotton pad slat underneath. The "woboer craftsman" held the object with one hand and shook it back and forth with the other hand, looking straight forward with both eyes. Take big strides and walk quickly. After arriving at the destination, two people still need to lift the objects on their shoulders. In addition to being able to carry it on the shoulders, "woboer craftsmen" also need to be able to walk quickly and have the skills to disassemble and assemble various types of furniture. In the late Qing Dynasty, Fan Maogui, a famous "woboer" in Beijing, took only four days to "nest" a 60-pound copper lion to the Mausoleum of the Empress Dowager Cixi in Malanyu, Zunhua. Carrying means carrying things or even people on your back. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, it rained heavily in Beijing, and the streets were flooded with water up to their knees and belly, making it difficult for ordinary people to pass. Therefore, there were people who specialized in carrying people across the streets and earning a few pennies. As for those who sell vegetables, fish, shrimps, and flowers in Beijing in the old days, as well as those who deliver coal to coal shops, ash to ash shops, and wine and food to restaurants, etc., most of them have to bear the burden. Carrying, carrying, and carrying are all forms of transportation that rely mainly on human power.

13. Boats are the main means of water transportation. There were also many kinds of ships in ancient times. Needless to say, in the Ming Dynasty, there were yellow ships (for imperial use), horse ships (for transporting horses from Sichuan and Yunnan, and after Yongle moved the capital to Beijing, for transporting official property), fast ships (for naval expeditions), and shipping ships (for envoys to Western countries). country), supply ship (for royal fishing), Houhu ship (in Houhu, Nanjing, it is a balcony ship for sightseeing), warship (for conquest), grain ship (also divided into cover ship and shallow ship) Both types are used for water transportation) and other purposes. ② In the Qing Dynasty, there were grain ships (used for canal use), warships (also divided into outer sea and inland river warships), water post ships (used for waterway stations), and response ships (also including sand ships, convenience ships, and yellow fast ships). They are classified into categories such as Loufeng boats, Xuanlou boats, and river boats, which are ready for dispatch by the government at any time), lifeboats (specialized for rescue and lifesaving in rapids and rapids in rivers), Fuliang ferries (used for crossing rivers), etc. ③ However, the only ones that can be seen in the Beijing area are yellow boats, grain boats, water post boats, Fuliang ferries, etc. Yellow boats. In the "Imperial Transport" section above, we talked about dragon boats, which belong to the same category as yellow boats. "Ming Huidian" records: "Yellow ships were built in the early years of the country, in various sizes, for imperial use. By the first year of Hongxi (1425), there were thirty-seven of them; in the eleventh year of Zhengtong (1446), there were twenty-five. Ten of them were often left in the capital's river for listening. "④ "Yangjizhai Conglu" said that the "Pengdao Feilong" boat left in the Taiye Pond in the Xiyuan of the Imperial City in Beijing in the pre-Ming Dynasty was the one left in the capital lake in the Ming Dynasty. What about one of the famous yellow boats? There is still a stone boat carved in the 20th year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1755) in the Summer Palace. It was slightly modified in the 19th year of Guangxu (1893) and renamed the Qingyan Boat. Although this stone boat only has symbolic meaning and has no practical value, we can imagine the appearance of the yellow boat in the Ming and Qing Dynasties through it. The boats on Nanjing's Houhu (i.e. Xuanwu Lake) in the early Ming Dynasty may be similar to it.

14. Grain ships are ships specially used for water transportation. Sea grain ships are called ocean-carrying ships, and river grain ships are called shallow ships or peeling ships. As the imperial capital of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Beijing completely relied on the southeast for its food supply and financial resources. Therefore, in a certain sense, without large-scale water transportation, Beijing would not have its historical status as an imperial capital for thousands of years. Because of this, there were many grain ships in Beijing back then. At the beginning of Yongle, both ocean-covering boats for seaway transportation and shallow boats for canal transportation could go up the Baihe River from Zhigu (today's Tianjin) to Tongzhou. Later, only Jizhou's military pay was transported by sea on ocean ships, and the grain in the treasury in Beijing and Tongzhou was all transported by shallow ships. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, 3.7 million shi of rice grains were transported to Jing and Tongcang by shallow ships, while only 240,000 shi of military rations were transported to Jizhou by Zheyang ships. During the same period, 12,143 ships were built nationwide, of which shallow ships accounted for more than 95%. According to literature, a shallow boat made of four hundred materials has a bottom length of 5 feet 2 feet, a head length of 9 feet 5 inches, a tip length of 9 feet 5 inches, a bottom width of 9 feet 5 inches, a bottom width of 6 feet, and a bottom width of 5 feet. The ruler is 8 feet wide when the lion is lying on its head, and 7 feet when the lion is lying on its tip. There are 14 beam heads, the base plate is 2 inches thick, the pallet is 1 inch and 7 minutes thick, and there are 3 nails for 1 foot. The beam at the mouth of the dragon is 1 feet wide and 4 feet deep. The wind beam is 1 feet 4 feet wide and 3 feet 8 inches deep. The back water beam is 9 feet wide and 4 feet 5 inches deep. The two beams (upper "Guang" and lower "Dare") are 7 feet 6 inches wide. To build such a shallow boat, it is necessary to use 7 pieces of nanmu, one piece each of short, double and triple nanmu, 1 elm, 5 and 3 sections of miscellaneous wood, 700 kilograms of large and small nails and curium, and 200 kilograms of hemp. , 200 kilograms of putty and 30 kilograms of tung oil. ⑤ The size of the grain transporting ships in the Qing Dynasty changed.

For example, the grain ship built in the early years of Shunzhi had a length of 5 feet 2 feet at the bottom and a width of 9 feet 5 inches in the middle. The width of the longkou beam and the wind beam were only 1 feet 4 feet, and the width of the cut water beam was only 9 feet. The size of the hull was similar to that of the Ming Dynasty shallow ship. In the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign (1683), the title was approved, and the style of grain ships in each province was changed to 7 feet 1 foot long and 1 feet 4 feet 4 inches wide, which was larger than before. In the fiftieth year of Qianlong's reign (1785), on the grounds that "the provincial watercraft were too tall and heavy, making it difficult to walk in the wet", it was agreed that the Beihe government should build 1,500 boats, each of which was 5 feet 8 feet long and 1 feet 8 inches wide. It is 8 feet 1 inch wide at the rear and has nine cabins. Each cabin is 3 feet deep and holds 300 stones per meter. ⑥ It is much smaller than the Kangxi ship.

15. The water station is a ship specially used for waterway stations. The style is not recorded. There was a water post station in Tongzhou during the Ming Dynasty, so there must have been water post boats.

16. Fuliang ferry is a mode of transportation that uses boats as bridges to cross rivers. According to Volume 939 of "Qing Huidian Cases": In the 18th year of Kangxi (1679), "Shuntian (Prefecture) Tongzhou was set up with bridges and boats within fifty days, and six boats were allocated to the Jinghe River in Sanhe County." Since then, Tongzhou has There are still 44 bridge boats left. In the fifty-first year of Kangxi (1712), "Twenty-two bridge boats in Tongzhou were demolished and built as a quota." After that, Tongzhou had 22 bridge boats. In the first year of Yongzheng's reign (1723), "four ferries were set up on the Luanhe River at Gubeikou and handed over to the flood officials." In the fifth year of Qianlong's reign (1740), the title was accurate: "The ferries at Gubeikou in Zhili Province were decayed, so two ferries were built and a bridge was added. Boat Fourteen. "As a floating beam ferry, it needs to be strong and durable without elaborate decoration, so this kind of boat is like a carriage, mule cart, or cart for transporting goods. It is simple in style and labor-saving in production.

Regardless of yellow boats, grain boats, water stations and Fuliang ferries, in addition to relying on water power when going with the current and wind power when going with the wind, the main thing is the boatman's fiber pulling and paddling. In other words, it is still a water vehicle mainly based on human power.

17. Horseback riding. Horses were an important means of transportation in ancient times. This paper mainly introduces horses.

Post stations throughout the dynasties have been equipped with a number of horses for people delivering documents or passing officials to ride. Horses can run fast and far, and soldiers cannot do without them during battles. But in Beijing, all civil and military ministers, except for a few senior officials, must ride horses when going to court.