Sino-Platonic Papers. — 2000. — № 99 — 103 pp.In recent literature a very different scenario is portrayed for the early development of wheeled transport. It is stated by leading authorities that no form of wheeled vehicle existed in China prior to the introduction from Central Asia of the chariot around 1200 B.C. Western scholars maintain that early Bronze Age China only possessed the borrowed technology of the chariot and never possessed or invented any other forms of conveyance or hauling such as carts or wheelbarrows.
It is the primary purpose of this paper to challenge both of these assertions. Drawing support from archaeological, artistic, inscriptional, and textual data, the author suggests that the chariot was established in China on top of a foundation of other vehicles. Furthennore, he introduces several recent discoveries which suggest that during both the Shang and Western Zhou periods, many other forms of vehicle were used for human conveyance and material transport. Indispensable to this study will be an examination of the actual technology involved in Chinese wheeled vehicles. This will take the form of a computer-assisted, color reconstruction of a specific excavated Chinese chariot from the Anyang period with a complete analysis of each of its parts. Finally, large portions of this paper will be dedicated to trying to reconstruct the actual use of these vehicles, whether it be for military, ritual, or utilitarian purposes.Table of Contents:
Introduction-Wheeled Transport around the World.
The Earliest Chinese Wheeled Vehicles.
The Shang Chariot at Anyang.
Other Wheeled Vehicles at Anyang.
Wheeled Transportation Outside Anyang.
Wheeled Vehicles in the Western Zhou.
Conclusion.
