Wheelbarrow
Curated by Cooper
Curated by Cooper
Image 01: Invention of the Wheelbarrow
There are many great inventions to come out of ancient China, but there is one that stands out. It was very important to agriculture as well as transportation. That invention is the wheelbarrow or as it was also known as the wooden ox. The development of the wheelbarrow was innovative and important throughout ancient China’s history. It improved transportation and made farming efficient.
The development of the wheelbarrow started in the Han dynasty, roughly around 230 to 220 BCE. One of the main purposes for the wheelbarrow was for travel around China. Ancient Chinese people would put sick, injured, or elderly people in the wheelbarrow and transport them around China. This would get them to hospitals or their homes much faster. The wheelbarrow originally had a small bucket to carry small loads, and it had multiple wheels for better control but this design has changed many times throughout history.
Image 02: Location of the Han Dynasty
Image 03: The look of the wooden OX
First, China utilized the wheelbarrow for more than just farming. They used it for transporting things around China. They used it to bring supplies for military use. The first person to improve upon the wheelbarrow for military purposes was Zhuge Liang, he added a centrally mounted wheel for better control over the heavy loads the wheelbarrow would be carrying. They also used it to help elderly people get around easier. This was very effective, because a lot of the roads around ancient China were hard to travel, so combining both made it less difficult.
Impact on Agriculture
Second, the wheelbarrow impacted China heavily by making farming much more easy to do. China became much stronger, because they could do more farming in a shorter amount of time. They accomplished this by increasing the number of crops they could collect. The wheelbarrow allowed farmers to carry more crops across short distances. This increased the number of people they could feed. This also helped them increase trade, by moving crops and other products around. The wheelbarrow was very important for China, because it increased the distance people could carry crops and products, this allowed more people to purchase food, making it a very positive impact.
Image 04: Usage of the wooden OX
Image 05
The development of the wheelbarrow was innovative and really important throughout China. The wheelbarrow made transportation and farming in China more efficient. All of this shows why the wheelbarrow was so impactful and had such a large effect on ancient China.
These links go more in depth of the invention and how the wheelbarrow was discovered.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3106255?origin=crossref
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3105714?origin=crossref
https://thegardenhistory.blog/2015/02/28/the-wheelbarrow-a-weapon-of-war/