How developed was the ancient express delivery industry? How urgent is 800? Development of Watermelon Video Popular Science Logistics

Now the logistics in China is developing rapidly, and many express brands have emerged, such as Yifeng and Yitong.

In July 20 19, there were nearly 340,000 workers in a city alone. It is conceivable how huge the logistics industry in China is, and the development of logistics facilitates people's shopping.

Logistics is the contact medium between online stores and offline individuals. Now the express delivery time is also very fast, and it will arrive in almost a few days. So I can't help but wonder how fast ancient logistics was.

Does the so-called 800 Li Chong really mean 800 Li a day? Let's learn about the history of ancient logistics development with Qingshi, the creator of watermelon video.

In fact, the idea of attacking 800 Li originated from Xuanzong period of Tang Dynasty. At that time, in order to make Bomei people laugh, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered his men to hurry for 800 miles and specially sent litchi from Lingnan, thousands of miles away.

After watching the watermelon video, I realized that there were nearly 20 thousand people engaged in the logistics industry in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. In fact, the so-called 800-mile express does not mean that the rider runs 800 miles a day, but indicates the urgency of delivery.

Moreover, 500 Li in the Tang Dynasty is equivalent to 227.438+0 km now, and this measurement is different.

Since "800-mile express" represents the urgency of delivery, what is the history of ancient logistics and its development?

In fact, as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, the imperial court had an official position in charge of the post office, called the Hangfu. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the upgrading of transportation promoted the development of logistics industry.

At that time, horses were the main means of transportation, and the delivery of letters was naturally realized by riding alone and relaying each other, otherwise the non-stop running would be exhausted.

After the Qin dynasty unified the whole country, the express delivery industry was called "post-delivery", and it was urgent or not to send something. If a document is sent from one place to another, if it is urgent, it can be marked as "urgent", so it can be distinguished from ordinary documents.

Urgent documents should be sent immediately on the same day without delay.

By the Han Dynasty, the development of logistics industry had formed a systematic system. There are different levels of platforms for postal services, newsstands, post offices and delivery, and the delivery of government documents also needs to indicate the time, order and clear responsibility distribution.

Such a clear distribution system has promoted the healthy development of the industry.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the first legal official document about the postal industry in the history of China was issued, which was the postal order. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the speed of logistics and transportation was clearly required, and the transmission of urgent official documents must reach 400 miles per day.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the society developed rapidly, and there appeared three modes of transportation: land mail, water mail and waterway. At that time, land transportation was required to reach 500 miles per day.

In the Song Dynasty, the basic system followed the Tang system, and the express delivery industry developed into "express delivery shop". This urgent delivery will be accompanied by a bronze bell, which is to remind passers-by that there is an urgent delivery and to avoid it quickly.

The development of logistics industry in different dynasties can also show the prosperity of the country at that time.

The development of ancient logistics industry also came step by step, and it was not until the Tang Dynasty that it ran for 800 miles. But in fact, it doesn't mean that the person in charge of delivery has to walk 800 miles a day. This 800-mile rush only represents the urgency of an object. In the Tang Dynasty, the fastest journey was 500 miles a day.