Wheel 3

China
We turn finally to China, the so-called "Cradle of the East." In recent literature on this subject, 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 1200b.c.( See "E. Origins of the Shang Chariot" on page 37). For example, Stuart Piggott states in his most recent book that "Shang chariotry appears to mark the first appearance of any wheeled transport in the area which was to become the nucleus of Imperial China." 22And Edward Shaughnessy declares, "There is no evidence of any type in China to suggest a vehicular development leading up to the mature chariot." 23Furthermore, 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. For instance, in his recent survey on the origins of the Chinese chariot, Edward Shaughnessy declares that in the Shang period, "there is absolutely no artifactual evidence for other types of wheeled or tractive conveyance." 24
It is the primary purpose of this paper to challenge both of these assertions. I will argue that no society could accept and adapt such a sophisticated package of machinery as the horse-drawn chariot so smoothly without extensive previous experience with wheeled vehicles. Drawing support from archaeological, artistic, inscriptional, and textual data, I will suggest that the chariot was established in China on top of a foundation of other vehicles. Furthermore, I will introduce 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 ( See "C. Structure of the Shang Chariot" on p. 23). 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. Through this study, I hope to present a much more complete and vivid portrait of the wheeled-vehicle technology utilized during the Bronze Age by one of the greatest technologically innovative civilizations.