We all say now that when the Egyptian pyramids were built, it was very difficult for people to transport huge stones at that time, but it was no less difficult for people to transport this huge stone weighing 300 tons than the ancient Egyptians to transport stones for the pyramids. Because this boulder was transported from Dashiwo, Fangshan, Beijing to the Forbidden City during Yongle period of Ming Dynasty, it takes about 80 kilometers to transport it from Dashiwo to the Forbidden City. These feats are particularly difficult for the ancients and the present.
Then at that time, there were no professional equipment such as cranes, and there were no big trucks carrying stones. How did the construction workers at that time carry this huge stone 80 kilometers away?
In fact, stones weighing several tons and dozens of tons at that time were generally transported by vehicles, which were also recorded in historical materials. For example, stones taken from Dashiwo are generally transported by 16 unicycle, about 200 vehicles, and then transported by 1800 mules, and arrive in Beijing in about 20 days.
However, because the Yunlong stone carving is too heavy to be transported as mentioned above, there is no relevant record of transporting Yunlong stone carving in historical materials, but it is certain that Yunlong stone carving must be transported by other means, otherwise it is impossible to reach the capital.
But as long as you think about it a little, combined with other historical materials, you can probably guess what the mode of transportation should be like at that time, as follows:
At that time, people would choose to transport it in the coldest time of the year in the north, then sprinkle water on the road to make a thick layer of ice on the road, then use tools to lay a slope between the quarrying point and the loading point, and slowly move the 300-ton stone to the dry boat by dragging and prying.
The so-called dry boat is a raft made of wood, and then the dry boat carrying this boulder is pulled by manpower and animal power. Because the friction on the ice is relatively small and slippery, it will be much easier, but in the process of childbirth, hot water is still used as a lubricant and sprinkled on the ice to reduce more friction.
Even if this method is used to transport this boulder to the Forbidden City, many mules and other livestock are exhausted along the way, and they can only travel about 2.9 kilometers every day with their best efforts. The transportation difficulty can be imagined.