Without high-speed rail planes, how difficult is it for the ancients to transport home in the spring?

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Text | Reading Jun

The "Spring Festival" is known as an unprecedented periodic migration event in human history. In just over 40 days, billions of people have embarked on their way home, and this magnificent migration has attracted global attention. More than ten years ago, many people were moved by the vast number of migrant workers and migrant workers riding motorcycles across provinces and regions, just to go home to spend the Spring Festival together.

This is a mobile feast on an unprecedented scale, and it is also a vivid interpretation of Chinese culture. We often say "if you have money or not, go home for the New Year". Every New Year's Day, no matter the wind, rain, thunder and lightning, no matter the mountains and rivers, can not stop people from going home. This perseverance and tenacity are the true portrayal of the spirit of the Chinese nation.

It is precisely because of this that every year at the end of the year, going home has become the first headache for people, especially for those who travel home for the New Year. Despite this, people have many means of transportation to choose from, such as bullet trains, high-speed rail, airplanes, cars, private cars, etc., but the huge flow of people not only brings great challenges and difficulties to travel, but also causes a situation where it is difficult to find a ticket.

Of course, in fact, it is not only modern people who have the trouble of Spring Festival, but also ancient people who have the trouble of Spring Festival. Due to the backward road construction in ancient times and the low efficiency of transportation, the way home for the spring transportation of the ancients was far more difficult than that of modern people.

Next, let's take a look, how difficult was the Spring Festival of the ancients?

1. Ancient Spring Festival

In ancient times, it was mainly based on human and animal transportation. In addition to walking, there are also chariots, sedan chairs, etc., which is the predecessor of the sedan chair and is the earliest rickshaw in the mainland. Later, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were rickshaws and so on, which were still imported from foreign countries, and the old Beijingers called them "Oriental cars" in the past.

The main means of animal transportation are horse-drawn carts, donkeys, etc. In ancient times, the population was relatively small, and most people mainly traveled on foot, so the flow of people was not as large as in modern times. However, due to the limited capacity of horse-drawn carriages, boats and other means of transportation, coupled with the poor condition of roads in ancient times, the speed of transportation was relatively slow, so travelers often faced the anxiety of long-distance travel, and needed to start preparing for the Spring Festival long in advance.

Taking the Tang Dynasty as an example, although the Tang Dynasty was a heyday of China's development, for the vast majority of ordinary people, the way to travel was mainly by their feet, and it was already quite remarkable to be able to take a carriage home. Some wealthy people will choose to charter a car or a chartered boat to go home.

Second, the ancient people went home on a different "Spring Festival" road 

1. The ancient Spring Festival "bus" - animal-powered car

In modern times, people can choose to take trains, cars, planes and other means of transportation home during the Spring Festival. However, in ancient times, due to the backward level of science and technology, the types of vehicles were relatively small. In addition to walking, the main means of transportation during the Spring Festival transportation in ancient times were animal carts and boats.

The animal-powered cart was one of the most important means of transportation during the Spring Festival transportation period in ancient times. Animal-powered carts are divided into different types such as horse-drawn carts, ox-carts, and donkey carts, among which horse-drawn carts are considered to be one of the most luxurious standard equipment. In ancient times, horse-drawn carriages were usually the exclusive means of transportation for nobles or the wealthy, while ordinary people could only choose to travel in ox carts or donkey carts.

The speed of the animal cart is relatively slow, but the capacity is relatively large. A horse-drawn carriage can carry multiple passengers and a large amount of luggage, so in the ancient Spring Festival transportation period, the horse-drawn carriage became one of the most popular means of transportation during the Spring Festival transportation period every year.

However, there are also great inconveniences in riding an animal-powered cart. Due to the poor condition of the roads in ancient times, the roads were often muddy and bumpy. As a result, riding in an animal-powered cart often requires enduring the pain of bumps and dust. In addition, the speed of the animal-powered cart is also comparatively slow and takes a long time to reach its destination.

2. The ancient Spring Festival "green car" - boats

After talking about the animal-powered cart, let's take a look at another major means of transportation during the ancient Spring Festival - boats.

In ancient times, rivers and lakes were one of the important passages for people to travel. Therefore, boats have also become one of the main means of transportation in the ancient Spring Transport Period. Compared with animal-powered vehicles, although the speed of horses is often faster than the speed of boats, horses generally do not last too long, and in addition, the ancient roads were more rugged and bumpy, and there were many detours to detour. Therefore, on the whole, the boat is more cost-effective, and the capacity is also larger. A large ship can carry hundreds of passengers and a large amount of cargo, so in the ancient Spring Festival, boats were also one of the most important means of transportation.

However, there are also significant risks associated with boat rides. Due to the relatively backward navigation technology in ancient times, the safety performance of ships was also relatively poor. During the voyage, the ship often encounters dangerous conditions such as wind, waves, reefs, etc., so passengers need to bear certain safety risks. In addition, in the process of ancient water transportation, there were often pirates, robbers and other lawbreakers, which also posed a certain threat to the personal safety of passengers.

In addition, unlike today, in ancient times, there were no specialized transportation hubs such as stations and docks like today, so the way to "buy tickets" was also different from today. In ancient times, people usually negotiated with the owners of vehicles such as coachmen and boatmen, and agreed on the price and itinerary before taking the ride.

Due to the scarcity of transportation, drivers and boatmen often take the opportunity to raise prices, making it unaffordable for many people. Therefore, it was also a big problem to go home during the Spring Festival in ancient times. For example, the Sui Dynasty poet Xue Daoheng once wrote:

"It's only been seven days since spring, and I've been away from home for two years. After the people return to the geese, they think in front of the flowers. (Excerpt from "Thinking of Returning Every Day")

Here is a vivid expression of his sadness that he can't go home in time for the New Year.

3. Ancient Spring Festival "Lemon" - rent a donkey

In the modern Spring Festival travel period, there are often increases in fares. Fares on some popular routes will even be sky-high. In fact, in the ancient Spring Festival period, there was a similar situation.

Due to the limited capacity of ancient means of transport, the fares of some popular routes were also very high. Especially between some bustling cities, such as Chang'an to Luoyang, Hangzhou to Suzhou and other lines, the ticket price is higher.

However, there is also a more affordable way to get around – renting a donkey.

Donkey rentals are a form of transportation similar to modern bike-sharing, where travelers can rent a donkey to walk home. The walking speed and riding comfort of donkeys are far less than those of horses, so the price of renting a donkey is often lower than that of renting a horse. Wang Dechen of the Song Dynasty once wrote in "History of Lu":

"The Beijing master rents a donkey, and the people on the way meet nothing more than a donkey."

It can be seen that in ancient times, renting a donkey was a very common thing. And donkeys are generally smaller than horses, so they can walk through the streets and alleys, which is very convenient. For this reason, it is a means of transportation for the spring transportation of the ancients.

3. Reading Jun said

All in all, the ancient Spring Festival was also full of hardships and difficulties. Nowadays, although everyone is still facing the dilemma of difficult Spring Festival, with the development of science and technology and social progress, modern Spring Festival transportation has become more and more convenient and efficient. Whether it is high-speed rail, airplane, Internet ticket purchase, face recognition and other technologies, it provides a more convenient and safe guarantee for people's travel. It is believed that in the future, with the continuous innovation and progress of technology, the Spring Festival will become more intelligent, efficient and humane.

Of course, through the window of the Spring Festival, we see not only the difficulties of traveling during the Spring Festival, but also the feelings of the Chinese. China's Spring Festival is not only a simple population movement, but also a cultural blend and an emotional collision. Here, you can see all kinds of faces, hear all kinds of stories, and feel all kinds of emotions. These are intertwined to form a vivid and real picture, which makes people sigh.

The Chinese Spring Festival is a large-scale and far-reaching periodic migration event. It shows the unity and tenacity of the Chinese nation, as well as the unique charm of Chinese culture.

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