Clay Ox-drawn Vehicle Glazed in Blue and White

Like horse, ox is also an important vehicle in ancient China. Chinese artists had made many artifacts to mark this phenomenon.

The driver of the vehicle is walking in front of the carriage, in which a young woman sits straight.

In Tang Dynasty, horses, donkeys and mules were the main draft animals, but there were also ox-drawn vehicles used mainly by women.

Two murals of ox-drawn vehicles were found in the tomb of Li Shou, a cousin of Li Yuan, Emperor Gaozu, in Sanyuan County, Shaanxi Province.

One vehicle had a railed body, the other a planked one, in which was seated a woman. They show that ox-drawn vehicles, which were popular during the Wei and Jin dynasties, were still used in early Tang.

Later, when horse-riding became the vogue, ox-drawn vehicles got replaced by horses.

Copyright: A Journey into China’s Antiquity– Chinese History in Cultural Relics, Blossom Press

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