Horse-drive carts in modern Dalian city.

In Northeast China, animal-driven carts were once the most common means of transport in both rural and urban areas, and there were three kinds, namely, horse-driven carts, bullock carts and donkey-driven carts. The horse-driven carts among them, also known as "Da Che (Big Vehicle)" in Chinese, were the most popular and useful, due to its huge capacity and high speed, which made them suitable for both long and short trips.

A horse-driven cart is composed of three parts: the shaft, the body and the rear, all of which are made of wood. If the cart is to carry goods, which are easy to get dispersed, such as coal and sand, four wooden plates will have to be installed as a carriage. In places where reinforcement, linking and cord loops are needed, iron hoops are installed, which can be made by blacksmiths in the countryside.

In the early stage, the wheels and axis were all made of wood, and "flower wheels", are the most commonly seen. To make this kind of wheels, 15 or more spokes were linked to the wheel rim in a radiate shape from the wheel's center, and were then reinforced with mushroom-shaped nails outside the rim. There were also iron wheels, whose spokes were arranged in the shape of the Chinese character "井". This type of wheels were installed on carts for carrying a heavy load, and the axis was also stronger than the average ones, usually made of birch trees. The plastic wheels castors that can still be seen today became popular in the 1940s.

In the past, only the rich and well-off family could afford a horse-driven cart, as the money needed for a horse and the materials for installing such a cart almost equaled that for building a three-room house. The horse-driven carts, in addition to being used for hauling feces to the field in the spring and dragging grains home in the autumn, were mainly used to make money by carrying cargos for others, as there were few cargo vehicles in the old days. Besides, horse-driven cargos also provide convenience for family members by sparing them from walking on foot when they were going to the market or visiting a relative.

Page:

1

2

All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.