Rickshaw is a mode of transport popular in Asia

Rickshaw is a type of transport that is prevalent in South and East Asia. It is a cart (usually two-wheeled), which is pulled by a man by the shafts. The latter is also called rickshaw. Typically, the wagon is designed for one or two people. Now you know the meaning of the word "rickshaw". And below we will tell in detail the history of the appearance of this type of transport.

First version

Similar rickshaw carts were very common in Paris in the XVII-XVIII centuries. In 1707, the artist Claude Gillot portrayed this mode of transport in his comic picture. However, soon the wagons went out of use. 1860-1870-ies - this is the line, when from Japan to other Asian countries this type of transport, like rickshaws, spread. This invention is attributed to the American missionary Jonathan Goble (Skoby). He came up with a stroller to transport his sick wife.

Second version

There is another story of how the rickshaw appeared. This happened in Tokyo in 1870. The carriage was invented by three Japanese - Kosuke Takayama, Tokudziro Suzuki and Yoshuke Izumi. They received an official permission not only for the manufacture, but also for the sale of wagons. The appearance of rickshaws in Japan is due to Western influence, which increased many times in 1868 after the Meiji Revolution. In cities, the pace of life has significantly increased, the need for people to move quickly has increased. The use of palanquins proved insufficient. They demanded two porters and moved rather slowly. And the maintenance of horses managed in times more expensively.

In 1872 in the capital of Japan, there were already 40,000 rickshaws, and in 1896 - 210. Also began their distribution to other countries (China, India, etc.). However, with the advent of the car, their number was regularly reduced. In 1938, there were only 13,000 left in Japan. After the Second World War, in the conditions of devastation, some part of the rickshaws returned to the streets of the cities, but not for long. Now in most countries, rickshaw is an element of the tourism industry.

Conclusion

In the postwar years for technological and financial reasons, this mode of transport began to slowly disappear. And in countries with slow economic growth, rickshaws were generally banned as a visual sign of low welfare and crisis. So in 1949 they disappeared from China. And in 1972 banned the appearance of carts on the main streets of Calcutta (India). Ten years later, the city authorities seized and destroyed about 12,000 wheelchairs. Despite this, according to the data of 1992, about 30 thousand rickshaws worked in Calcutta. In 2005, the administration of West Bengal announced its intention to completely ban this type of transport, which provoked many street protests and strikes.