What creative ideas did the Chinese ancestors have for utilizing water?

Waterwheel Image Source: Visual China

When people interact with water, they usually use tools

Especially in water use, water treatment, water management and other activities

Created and invented many tools for water activities

Tools are physical objects

The creation and use of each water tool

They all embody human knowledge, ability and wisdom.

Water tools reflect the relationship between people and water.

Human agency and creativity

Marks the evolution of human culture

1. Water-drawing tools

Drawing water from water sources is a long-standing and common water-related activity of mankind. In addition to using water containers, drawing water usually requires the use of certain mechanical means to move water from low to high spaces.

The lever, an illustration from the Ming Dynasty’s “Three Talents Illustrated Collection”. Image source: Baogaitou/FOTOE

The lever is commonly known as a "hanging rod". It uses the principle of leverage to draw water from a low place and send it to a high place. According to the book "History of the Development of Ancient Agricultural Machinery in China" by Mr. Liu Xianzhou, a mechanical expert at Tsinghua University, this type of irrigation machinery may have been created during the Cheng Tang period of the early Shang Dynasty, and has a history of about 3,700 years. It was already widely used in the Spring and Autumn Period, mainly for irrigation.

An interesting story in "Zhuangzi·Heaven and Earth" mentioned the pulley: Zigong persuaded a gardener to use a machine, namely the pulley, to draw water to irrigate the garden, but the gardener refused on the grounds that people who use machinery will definitely have "scheming", and believed that "scheming" destroys the purity and tranquility of the human heart, making it impossible for the "Tao" to rest, that is, "where there are machines, there must be mechanical things, and where there are mechanical things, there must be scheming. If scheming exists in the heart, purity will be lost; if purity is lost, the spirit will be unstable; if the spirit is unstable, the Tao does not support it."

Above: Schematic diagram of the Jueji Well. Image source: Haifeng/FOTOE

Below: Farming and Weaving, the farmer uses a winch. Image source: Cultural Communication/FOTOE

The story indirectly reflects that the lever was a new water-drawing tool at that time. It greatly reduced labor intensity and improved production efficiency, and most people were happy to use it. However, in the eyes of Taoists who believed in "non-action" and "non-cleverness", labor-saving labor would have a negative impact on the purity of people's hearts. Different attitudes towards the lever actually reflect deep-seated philosophical issues.

Until the 1970s, many places in the North China Plain still used the lever to draw water. Nowadays, the use of the lever to draw water is becoming less and less common, and the younger generation does not even know what it is. Therefore, in some tourist attractions, the lever is set up for tourists to learn about and try, in order to stimulate their interest in traveling and enhance their understanding and experience of Chinese water culture.

Windlass, illustration from the Imperial Records of the Imperial Order, published in the Wuying Palace during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Image source: Anonymous/FOTOE

The invention of the windlass overcame the limitation that the winch was only suitable for shallow wells or ditches with wide water surfaces. It used the principle of a fixed pulley to change the unidirectional force mode into a reciprocating force mode, which could be used to draw water from deep wells, which was both convenient and labor-saving.

In the Song Dynasty book "Wu Yuan", there is a record that "Shi Yi first made the windlass". Shi Yi was a historian in the Zhou Dynasty. If the record is true, it can be known that my country invented the windlass as early as the Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the windlass was already popular, mainly used to draw water, and also used to draw objects from deep wells. In the 1970s, two wooden windlasses from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were excavated in Tonglu Mountain, Daye, Hubei, which can serve as evidence. "Qimin Yaoshu" by Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty mentioned that "wells are made of levers and windlasses". Windlasses were widely used in farmland irrigation at that time. Generally, levers were used for shallow wells, and windlasses were used for deep wells.

Above: A pottery well with a water trough with a pulley from the Western Han Dynasty, housed in the National Museum of China. Image credit: Kong Lanping/FOTOE

Below: Villagers use a windlass to draw water from the well. Image source: Li Peixian/Visual China

The windlass has been improved over a long period of use, but it has generally maintained its original shape, which shows that the windlass designed by the ancestors of the Chinese nation has a very reasonable structure. To this day, in the plains and mountainous areas of the north, the windlass is still the main tool for drawing water from deep wells. Traditional rural-themed literary and artistic works often use the windlass as a representative landscape of the northern countryside.

Waterwheel, illustration from Tiangong Kaiwu. Waterwheel is also called turning cart, and it first appeared in the Han Dynasty. Image source: Cultural Communication/FOTOE

A waterwheel, also known as a "turning cart" or "dragon-bone waterwheel", is a water-drawing machine that uses the wheel and axle principle to lift water. Small ones are hand-cranked, large ones are pedal-powered, and there are also those that use animal power or wind power.

There are records of the invention of waterwheels in the Later Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in my country. In the Tang Dynasty, waterwheels began to be promoted and applied. In the Ming Dynasty, Song Yingxing's book "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" mentioned many types of waterwheels. In the historical records of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, there are also records of officials promoting waterwheels in the north: for poor families who could not afford to build waterwheels, the government first provided wood and deducted the cost from the autumn harvest.

Human cart and dragon-bone waterwheel, illustrations from "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature", written by Song Yingxing in the Ming Dynasty and published by Tu Shaoxing in the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty. Image source: Yuan Ziwu/FOTOE

The drum wheel, illustration from "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature", written by Song Yingxing in the Ming Dynasty and published by Tu Shaoxing in the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty. Image source: Yuan Ziwu/FOTOE

In traditional agricultural society, waterwheels are essential tools for watering paddy fields and are also typical cultural landscapes in rural areas (especially in southern rural areas). Writers of all dynasties have left many chapters describing waterwheels and waterwheel labor. Su Shi has a poem "Waterwheel on the Road in Wuxi" that describes waterwheels as birds connected head to tail and snakes shedding their skin and bones. It draws water to irrigate rice fields, giving farmers confidence in a good harvest even in drought.

Figure 1: A waterwheel on the bank of the Yellow River in Lanzhou, Gansu Province in the 1930s. Image source: Anonymous/FOTOE

Figure 2: Farmers pedaling water wheels in Hainan in the 1950s. Image source: Wang Peichou/FOTOE

Figure 3: Waterwheel pavilion in Zhaoxing Dong Village. Image source: Visual China

Image 4: Fenghuang Ancient Town, waterwheel. Image source: Visual China

2. Water crossing tools

Water is essential for human life, but it can also hinder human transportation. Being blocked by water and unable to reach the other side has always been regarded as a pity. In order to overcome the barrier of water to people, humans invented water-crossing tools.

Rafting picture, illustration from the Ming Dynasty's "Sancai Tuhui". Image source: Baogaitou/FOTOE

Raft is a simple means of crossing water. It is usually made of local materials, bamboo, wood (sometimes bundled reeds) are woven into rafts, and placed flat on the water without sinking, for people to ride. Confucius said in "The Analects" that if "the way does not work", he will "float on the sea on a raft", and "raft" means a small raft. It seems that in the era when Confucius lived, "raft" was quite common. Raft has a large water surface, strong buoyancy, relatively stable travel on the water, and has the advantages of easy material acquisition and simple production. Therefore, it has always been an important means of crossing water in the south. Even today, the simple and primitive bamboo raft rafting is still a unique tourist activity in the water towns of Jiangnan.

Bamboo rafts and waterwheels on the Duoyi River, Luoping County, Yunnan. Image source: Yang Hongwen/FOTOE

Bamboo rafts on the Yulong River in Yangshuo, Guilin. Image source: Visual China

In the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in northwest China, there is a special sheepskin raft, which is made of a dozen inflated goat skins tied side by side on a thin wooden frame. There are records of sheepskin rafts in "Shui Jing Zhu", which shows that it has a long history. In the Loess Plateau in the northwest, bamboo and wood are scarce, but sheepskin is easy to obtain. The invention of sheepskin rafts has its cultural basis. The area of ​​sheepskin rafts is usually not as large as bamboo (wood) rafts, but because they are hollow, the displacement is increased, so they have a larger carrying capacity. Its principle is the same as that of "waist boats". The so-called "waist boat" is a dried gourd, which is sealed, hollow inside, and light in weight. It can be tied around the waist to prevent people from sinking, similar to today's lifebuoys. The sheepskin raft is a "collection" of waist boats, and its functions are greatly increased than waist boats, and it can be used by many people.

Sheepskin rafts on the Yellow River Image source: Visual China

Sheepskin rafts and waterwheels, Qilihe District, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. Image source: Visual China

Rowing, illustration from the Ming Dynasty's "Sancai Tuhui". Image source: Baogaitou/FOTOE

The boat is a further development of the raft. If the raft is open, the boat is closed or semi-closed. The boat is safer, more comfortable, more functional and has a stronger cultural meaning than the raft.

Ancient Chinese people have always preferred the freedom of a "small boat", and there are countless examples of literati praising it. The functions of ships have become more and more complex with their actual use: using wind power to become a sailboat; enhancing aesthetic functions to become a building ship; enhancing war functions to become a warship; enhancing entertainment functions to become a dragon boat... In particular, modern high technology has greatly promoted the development of ships: the tonnage is getting bigger and bigger, the range is getting longer and longer, the speed is getting faster and faster, and the forms are becoming more and more diverse. Not only can it sail on the water, but it can also sneak underwater.

Mountain boat tour, illustration from the Ming Dynasty’s “Sancai Tuhui”. Image source: Baogaitou/FOTOE

Tower ship, illustration from the Ming Dynasty's "Sancai Tuhui". Image source: Baogaitou/FOTOE

Kailang boat, illustration from the Ming Dynasty's "Sancai Tuhui". Image source: Baogaitou/FOTOE

Going on a boat, illustration from the Ming Dynasty’s “Sancai Tuhui”. Image Lianyuan: Baogaitou/FOTOE

The cultural content of the boat itself has also greatly increased. It is not only a means of crossing the water, but also a floating landscape. Whether in China or abroad, boats are always the most representative scenery of water towns. Boating on the water is very culturally meaningful. The famous philosopher He Zhaowu recalled that more than 70 years ago, he took a boat from his hometown Yueyang to Changsha to study. It took two hours by train, but five days by boat. From the perspective of time, taking the train is obviously superior. But sailing on the water, with picturesque scenery along the way, is a happiness he will never forget.

Wupeng boats in Jiangnan Photo source: Visual China

Minghu painted boat Image source: Zhao Huaguang/TuChong Creative

Image source of sailing boats in the gorge: Luze-/TuChong Creative

Dragon Boat Race Image Source: Qingqingde/TuChong Creative

3. Hydraulic tools

Hydraulic tools are tools that use water energy to replace human and animal power to do work. Representative ones include water pestle, water mill, water drain, etc.

Water mill, illustration from the Imperial Records of the Imperial Court, published in the Wuyingdian edition during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Image source: Anonymous/FOTOE

Water pestle is a mechanical device driven by water power, which makes stone pestle or large wooden pestle move up and down to remove the husk of grain or pound grain. Water pestle was mentioned in the works of Huan Tan, a thinker in the Western Han Dynasty of my country, saying that it "pounds grain by throwing water" and "its benefit is a hundred times". "Shishuo Xinyu" records that in the Western Jin Dynasty, Si Tu Wang Rong was both noble and rich, with a house, servants and herdsmen, fertile fields, and "water pestles, which are unparalleled in Luoxia". It can be seen that at that time, water pestle, a new type of water tool, like fertile fields and houses, symbolized wealth and social status.

Lian Er Water Mill, illustration from the Imperial Records of the Imperial Court, published in the Wuyingdian edition during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Image source: Anonymous/FOTOE

Water mill, also known as water roller, is the development of water pestle. It changes the up and down motion of water pestle into circular motion. It is mainly used to process grain, oil and tea. The record of using water power to push mill in my country is quite long. The "Biography of Zu Chongzhi" and other historical books all record the widespread use of water mill at that time. In the Tang Dynasty, water pestle and water mill were more widely used and even promoted to Tibet. According to the "Old Book of Tang·Biography of Tubo", when Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, she ordered craftsmen to teach Tibetan people to install water mill on the small river. Songtsen Gampo also asked the Tang government to send workers to Tibet to promote water mill.

The water mill in Qiunatong Village, Bingzhongluo Township, Gongshan County, Yunnan Province. Image source: Dong Linan/FOTOE

Until the first half of the 20th century, in southern my country, large water mills were still a symbol of wealth and status, and became the subject of many literary works. Shen Congwen described it in "Border Town": "There is a small thatched cottage leaning against the mountain and by the water. In the cottage, there is a round stone piece, fixed on a horizontal axis, and placed diagonally in a stone trough. When the sluice gate is pulled out, the running water hits the dark wheel underground, and the stone piece on it starts to spin. ... All mills are usually owned by local small wealthy people."

Water row, illustration from the Ming Dynasty's "Sancai Tuhui". Image source: Baogaitou/FOTOE

Water-powered bellows use water power instead of human power to blow air from bellows, and are mainly used for forging. The use of water-powered bellows is recorded in ancient scientific works such as "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" and "Dream Pool Essays".

IV. Water control tools

There are many water control tools in various forms. From a technological perspective, some historical water control tools have no practical use value today. However, the cultural value they contain will not disappear.

Some water control tools have been replaced by new tools, but they can still be used as cultural relics for people to recognize and understand. For example, the iron bars used to mark the depth of the river in the ancient Dujiangyan project are now displayed as historical relics in the Dujiangyan scenic area. Before the 1960s, bamboo tape measures used to measure lengths in water conservancy projects are now also displayed in the Water Culture Museum. These tools can not only allow future generations to understand history and increase knowledge, but also experience the development of science and technology and the evolution of culture.

"Lying iron" is a symbol of the depth of river digging left over from ancient times. "Deep dredging and low weir construction" means that the dredging depth should be as deep as "lying iron". Image source: Wang Qiong/FOTOE

Lying on the railway, Dujiangyan, Chengdu, Sichuan. Image source: You Yahui/FOTOE

The practical functions of some flood control tools such as Dayu's hoe have disappeared, but their images have become cultural symbols passed down from generation to generation. For example, Dayu's hoe is a flood control tool in early human society. It has a handle and can be stepped on. It can be used to dig soil and carry soil. Although modern flood control no longer uses the same tools, throughout history, all images of Dayu (statues, sculptures, and portraits) mostly hold a hoe. The image of Dayu's hoe has become a cultural symbol with typical significance.

Picture of Dayu controlling floods Source: Jiang Yongliang/FOTOE

Hanyang Riverside Park in Wuhan, Hubei, the "Yu the Great Controlling Floods" series of sculptures, and the "Inspecting the Nine Cauldrons" bronze sculpture. Image source: Visual China

The cultural connotations of some water control tools are still inspiring and inherited. For example, the ancient water gauge (also known as water recorder) is a ruler used by the ancients to measure the water level. It is said that the earliest water gauge was the three stone men erected by Li Bing when he built the Dujiangyan Weir. The water level and amount were measured by the water level to a certain part of the stone men's body.

There are three forms of ancient water gauges: one is uncarved, such as the stone man water gauge; the second is only carved with low water level, such as the Yangtze River Fuling stone fish that has existed since the Tang Dynasty, which only records the low water level; the third is the most common water gauge stele with equidistant carvings. Their common feature is that they mark relative heights. In modern water conservancy, water gauges are no longer used as a tool to measure water levels, but water scales that mark absolute heights (altitudes above sea level) are used. However, the measurement wisdom embodied in ancient water gauges is still passed down in water conservancy practice.

Statue of Li Bing (replica), Sichuan Museum. Image source: Li Xiaorong/FOTOE

Stone fish on Baiheliang, Fuling, Chongqing. Image source: Yan Changjiang/FOTOE

Water tools reflect the material aspect of water culture

It embodies human labor, knowledge and wealth.

Cumulative process and achievements

It emphasizes people's use of wisdom and ability

The creation of material wealth in a certain cultural environment

Water culture at the material level

Other aspects of Tongshui culture

They penetrate and connect with each other, and become

Water culture in different times, regions and nationalities

Reflecting the three-dimensionality and diversity of water culture