Shoulder-Borne Sedan Chair

Timeline

1. 960–1180Kaifeng and Lin'an · Central ChinaNorthern Song texts such as the Song Huiyao record the use of carriages and sedan chairs at court and by officials, while commoners also hired sedans for travel; after the move south, sedan businesses flourished in Lin'an, forming a sedan-transport service industry priced by distance.
2. 1181–1190Kyoto (Heian-kyō) · KansaiJapanese nobles still used mikoshi, ox carts, and palanquins (banyu); around the founding of the Kamakura shogunate, samurai travel customs changed, but shoulder-borne conveyances continued in ceremonies and women's travel. Goryeo and the Southern Song likewise shared East Asian sedan culture through envoy exchanges.
3. 1368–1911Inner City, Beijing · BeijingThe Ming and Qing strictly regulated the number of bearers, decoration, and the rank of users of sedan chairs; the eight-bearer grand sedan became a symbol of high status. Meanwhile, popular bridal sedans and official sedans coexisted until railways and automobiles gradually displaced them.