Small Cart（La brouette）

Small Cart（La brouette）

Van Braam began traveling in a small cart on December 11，1794，a week after he entered Chiang-hsi Province.[7]During the long and tedious journey to Peking，he must have had time to observe and study the cart offered by his Chinese hosts，and it became one of his favorite topics in his diary.He often used comparisons to illuminate his observations and to reveal the significance of seemingly unimportant details.Here is an example of his method：

It is equally easy to see that there is a difference in the men，particularly in the color of the skin.In general they are here of a much ruddier complexion than the inhabitants of the south of China；a circumstance that is still more perceptible among the women，whose cheeks are as red as those of European females，in the full bloom of youth and health.[8]

Then wheelbarrows，used to transport both people and goods in Chiang-hsi Province，caught his attention（see illustration 2）.[9]This vehicle was operated in a way different from what he had observed in Kuang-tung Province，so he described it carefully：“a wheel-barrow，singularly constructed，and employed alike for the conveyance of persons and goods.According as it is more or less heavily loaded，it is directed by one or two persons，the one dragging it after him，while the other pushes it forward by the shafts.”

Actually what van Braam saw was one of the most popular means of transportation in rural China in the Middle Ages.Even today wheelbarrows of this kind are still in use in certain parts of China.Van Braam went on to describe the single wheel with professional accuracy：

The wheel，which is very large in proportion to the barrow，...is as it were cased up in a frame made of laths，and covered over with a thin plank，four or five inches wide....In addition to this，I should say that the wheel is at least three feet in diameter，that its spokes are short and numerous，and consequently，that the felloes are very deep；and that its convexity on the outer side，instead of being nearly flat，like common wheels，is of a sharp form.(https://www.daowen.com)

Experienced in engineering，van Braam found the design of the wheel interesting：the edge was narrow compared to its European counterpart.[10]At first he thought the narrowness of the outer edge of the wheel“unsuitable”for a clay-soil road.But after comparing these carts with those used in Java，which he must have visited when he was in the navy，he realized that in rainy seasons narrow felloes may cut through heavy ground and thus make the cart move better.Van Braam mentioned that“the learned M.Hooyman”had experienced such problems with broad-wheeled carts when he was in Batavia.Van Braam found himself“obliged to follow the custom of the country，”and was“convinced that the Chinese wheel is the best suited to a clayey soil.”

Not only the structure of the cart but its operation was“new”to van Braam：“The wheel...is placed in the center of the part on which the load is laid，so that the whole weight bears upon the axle，and the barrow men support no part of it，but serve merely to move it forward and to keep it in equilibrium.”

His report was precise.But to maintain equilibrium was not easy.I had a chance to try the cart some years ago，and therefore can appreciate van Braam's account of the way it is loaded，which is an equally important factor in keeping the cart balanced：

On each side of the barrow is a projection on which the goods are put，or which serves as a seat for the passengers.A Chinese traveler sits on one side，and thus serves to counterbalance his baggage，which is placed on the other.If his baggage be heavier than himself，it is balanced equally on the two sides，and he seats himself on the board over the wheel，the barrow being purposely contrived to suit such occasions.

The barrow cart impressed van Braam.He repeatedly admired the“singularity”and“simplicity”of this invention.But the barrow was nothing new for the Chinese.Illustration 3 gives a comparison found in the T'ien-kung k'ai-wu，a popular book by Sung Ying-hsing（1587-？）published in the late Ming.[11]The cart had only one wheel，which made it suitable for narrow and winding trails in mountainous areas，as the background of the drawing suggests，and in paddy fields.It had two handles，with which the cart-man shared part of the weight and，more important，directed the cart along the road.It looks identical to what van Braam observed in Chiang-hsi Province where，according to the T'ien-kung k'ai-wu，these carts were used.Some scholars have asserted that the use of such carts，which were referred to as“wooden cattle，”can be traced back as far as the third century A.D.as described in the Dynastic History of the Three Kingdoms（San-kuo chih），and in the popular work based on it，the sixteenth-century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms（San-kuo yen-i）.[12]