Things I am going to Love about China: 22 of 100

Rickshaw

Richly Robed Rhinoceroses Riding in Rickety Red Rickshaws: This page is from the book Animalia, by my favorite children’s book author, Graeme Base.

There is something about robots pulling rickshaws that really speaks to me. Think of the symbolism: robots are built solely to serve and there isn’t a more raw image of servitude than a rickshaw. The idea behind a rickshaw is that some wealthy person sits in the carriage, and then it is pulled by a non-wealthy person (as if the puller was a horse or some other animal bred for working).

Rickshaws originated in Japan and were very popular throughout Asia. The vehicle starkly divided the elite class (the rickshaw riders) from the working class (the rickshaw pullers).

Rickshaws were most popular in Beijing during the early 20^th century. At that time one-sixth of all males were employed as rickshaw pullers. A few decades later, when China became a Republic, rickshaws disappeared because they were considered a symbol of oppression.

As with all fads, the rickshaw had to evolve to survive. The adaptation? A third wheel was added. Thus the cycle-rickshaw was born. Called a pedicab in the west, this invention can be found all over the globe. Cycle-rickshaws are still owned by poor laborers, who depend on the fares to feed their families.

Though cycle-rickshaws have economic benefit for the working class, they are notorious for clogging up the roads and slowing down traffic; Therefore they have are outlawed in many cities around the globe.

Thus the rickshaw goes through another adaptation. To avoid slowing traffic, the rickshaw would need power to compete in this motorized age. Evolution occurs again and the result is the auto-rickshaw. This new rickshaw (commonly called a tuk tuk) carries the spirit of the original vehicle into the 21^st century. Tuk Tuks are very popular throughout Asia and they can be a good deal if you are prepared to haggle, but beware, tourists are often overcharged if they don't barter.

Into the Future

The rickshaw, like most vehicles we use today, has had to evolve through the ages to survive. But where does the rickshaw go from here? Will we see a flying model? A submarine-model? The answer to this pondering lies in a tiny village outside of Beijing with an incredible farmer named Wu Yulu.

When Mr. Wu was eleven he dropped out of school and started building robots on his farm. Since he did not have a formal education, he had to learn robotics through trial and error. For the past two decades, Wu has built robots to climb walls, serve water, light cigarettes, play musical instruments, write calligraphy, paint, massage, and a variety of other things.

Wu builds his bots in his backyard from old scraps of metal and wire. He openly admits that he loves his robots more than his children. Wu calls his robots his sons and names them each accordingly. Wu’s 32^nd son is a robot built to pull a rickshaw. “Wu Yulu is my Dad,” the robot declares in Mandarin, “I take him out on the town.”

China has come a long way in the past hundred years. The working class of China use to pull the rickshaws and now they are the ones building robots to pull them. One cannot help see this irony as Wu-32 pulls the old farmer down the street.