Chinese Horse Collar Plowing Technology

Timeline

1. c. 900–930Guanzhong Plain · ShaanxiThe horse collar harness recorded in Tang murals and agricultural books remained widely used after the late Tang upheavals; the shoulder-and-chest load-bearing structure allowed a single horse to pull the heavy curved-shaft plow, significantly increasing plowing power in the Guanzhong and Hedong farming regions.
2. c. 930–960Territory of the Wuyue state · JiangnanThe Wuyue state promoted plowing with both cattle and horses in the development of Jiangnan polders; the horse collar combined with light walking plows suited both paddy fields and drylands, with grain output supporting regional regime stability and population growth.
3. c. 960–1000Kaifeng · HenanAfter the Northern Song unification, agricultural agencies standardized plow and harness norms; horse collar plowing became the standard configuration in northern dry farming and Jiangnan rice-growing regions, laying the technical foundation for Song grain production increases and the population peak.