In the text “Liezi,” written around the Han dynasty, there is a story from the Zhou dynasty. A man named Yanshi created a “robot” for King Mu of Zhou that could sing and dance. During the performance for King Mu, it secretly flirted with the king’s concubines. King Mu was furious and ordered Yanshi to be executed. Yanshi hurriedly explained that it was a dummy and suggested they dismantle it to see. Upon disassembly, King Mu discovered that the “robot” was made of leather, wood, glue, lacquer, white, black, red, and blue, with its organs and body parts being fake. When King Mu took out its heart, it could no longer speak; when he removed its liver, it could not see; and when he took out its kidneys, it could not walk. This shows that this robot was extremely advanced. The correspondence between the organs and the body’s ability to move reflects the ancient understanding of the human body.
King Mu was from the Western Zhou, and now let’s look at a story from the Eastern Zhou. The “Shiyi Ji” records that during the reign of King Ling of Zhou, there was a jade figure called “Jiyan” that could turn by itself.
Next, let’s take a look at the “robots” from the Qin dynasty. The “Xijing Zaji” from the Han and Jin dynasties records that when Liu Bang entered the palace of Xianyang, he discovered many treasures in the Qin dynasty’s treasury, including twelve bronze figures, each about three feet tall (about 70 centimeters according to Qin measurements), all on the same mat. Each figure held a different musical instrument, such as a qin, zhu, sheng, or yu. The bronze figures were dressed elegantly, resembling real people. Under the mat, there were two copper tubes, with the upper tube’s opening several feet off the ground, extending from behind the mat. One tube was empty, while the other contained a rope the thickness of a finger. One person would blow into the empty tube, while another twisted the rope, causing the qin, zhu, sheng, and yu to play together, sounding just like real musicians.
During the Tang dynasty, Duan Anjie recorded in “Yuefu Zalu” that when Han Gaozu Liu Bang was besieged in Pingcheng by the Xiongnu, strategist Chen Ping devised a plan. He knew that the Xiongnu leader’s wife loved to be jealous, so he created a beautiful “robot” to dance on the city wall. Indeed, when the Xiongnu leader’s wife saw it, she thought it was a real person. She feared that if the city fell, the leader would take this woman as a concubine, affecting her status, so she persuaded the leader to withdraw. Thus, with the help of this dancing “robot,” Chen Ping relieved Liu Bang’s siege in Pingcheng.
Wang Chong from the Eastern Han recorded in “Lunheng” that a man named Li Zichang in the Han dynasty invented a wooden figure that could judge cases, bringing criminals before it. If guilty, the wooden figure would not move; if innocent, it would stand up and shake its head.
The “taxi” in Han dynasty stone carvings—”Jili Gu Che” was an ancient tool invented to measure distances. Author’s photo
The “Records of the Three Kingdoms” notes that a man named Ma Jun improved a set of acrobatic wooden figures that did not move. He made wooden gears, set up mechanisms, and used water as power, allowing this acrobatic “robot” to perform music and dance on stage. There were also drumming, flute-playing, human pyramids, ball-throwing, sword-throwing, tightrope walking, and somersaulting, all with flexible movements. The “robot” could also sit in court to judge cases and perform various actions like pounding rice and grinding flour.
“Jinyang Qiu” states that during the Jin dynasty, a man named Qu Chun made a wooden house and created a wooden woman inside it. When someone knocked on the door, the woman would come to open it, perform a greeting, and then go back inside, closing the door behind her. He also made a game device for raising mice, which was a square box with four doors. Each door had a small wooden figure in front, and when four or five mice were placed inside, the wooden figures would hit the mice with hammers, preventing them from escaping. Additionally, he created a small wooden figure that could automatically process grain, showcasing his ingenuity.
During the Tang dynasty, the “Zhaoyao Qianzhai” records that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the intelligent Lanling Wang created a dancing “robot.” During banquets, when Lanling Wang wanted to persuade someone to drink, he could control this “robot” to present a wine cup to the person with a bow.
The second emperor of the Sui dynasty, Yang Guang, was friends with the scholar Liu Bian before ascending the throne. The “Book of Sui” records that after he ascended the throne, due to ceremonial reasons, he sometimes couldn’t summon Liu Bian into the palace. Yang Guang then ordered someone to make a lifelike “robot” resembling Liu Bian. Equipped with mechanisms, this robot could sit, stand, and bow. Every time Yang Guang drank wine under the moonlight and thought of his friend, he would have the Liu Bian-like “robot” brought to drink and laugh with him. This “robot” was somewhat like a clone.
Li Song’s “Skull Phantom Play Map” depicts the lively scene of puppet shows that were particularly popular during the Song dynasty. Author’s photo
The old text “Dai Ye Shi Gu” (written around the Song dynasty) records that Emperor Yang of Sui and his ministers enjoyed watching various hydraulic mechanical “robots” recorded in “Shui Shi Tu Jing”: there were divine turtles carrying the Bagua from the Yellow River, stories of the River Diagram and Lo Shu, the Great Yu controlling water, Jiang Yuan’s footprints, Wu Wang attacking Zhou, Lü Wang fishing at Pankou, Liu Bei crossing the Tanke, Zhou Chu slaying the flood dragon, Qiu Hu’s wife entering the water, Qu Yuan sinking into the Miluo River, the giant spirit striking Huashan, and a giant whale swallowing a boat, among seventy-two stories. The figures and animals would move with the flow of water, akin to ancient televisions, with programs belonging to the film channel. There was also an art channel, where small boats had wooden figures playing music, some hitting chimes, some plucking zither strings, and others beating the lute. Additionally, wooden figures performed various acrobatics, such as sword dancing, pole climbing, and rope throwing. While watching the “television” programs, there were also “robots” serving wine, on a boat where one person stood at the bow with wine, another held a wine pot at the back, one rowed, and two paddled in the middle. When the wine boat reached the guest, it would automatically stop, and the wooden figure at the bow would pass the wine to the guest, who would then take the cup, drink, and return it. The wooden figure would take back the cup, turn around to get a wooden spoon from the figure holding the wine pot, refill the cup, and then row to the next guest. The wine-serving “robot” boat always found the guests needing wine, pinpointing their locations accurately and moving quickly. While the boat carrying various legendary stories circled the pond, the wine-serving boat had already made three rounds.
There were also “robots” serving wine during the Tang dynasty. The “Zhaoyao Qianzhai” records that a county official named Yin Wenliang loved to create small gadgets and enjoyed drinking. One time, he made a wooden figure dressed in luxurious clothing. During a gathering with friends, this small wooden figure would serve wine to guests in order. If a guest had wine left in their cup, it would recognize that and not serve more. Yin Wenliang also made a female “robot” that could sing and play musical instruments. If a guest had not finished their drink, she would urge them to continue drinking while singing and playing.
Additionally, the “Zhaoyao Qianzhai” records that a man named Yang Wulian created a wooden monk who begged for alms with a bowl. When the bowl was full, it would trigger a mechanism, and the wooden monk would say, “Thank you for your donation.” Everyone wanted to hear it speak, so in one day, Yang Wulian earned thousands of coins with this coin-operated “robot”.
Meng Yuanlao’s “Dongjing Menghua Lu” describes a water performance “robot” from the Song dynasty. On the boat, there were white-clothed wooden puppets fishing, and after a while, they would catch live fish. “There was also a small boat with a small colorful pavilion and three small doors, resembling a puppet theater, facing the water. On the musical boat, soldiers would deliver messages, musicians would play, and when the colorful pavilion’s doors opened, small wooden puppets would emerge. On the small boat, a white-clothed figure would fish, followed by a child rowing the boat, circling several times, delivering messages, playing music, and catching a live fish. Then they would perform music and the boat would enter the pavilion. Following that, there would be wooden puppets performing ball games and dances, all delivering messages, singing, and playing music.”
Dai Jin’s “Taiping Le Shi Tu: Watching the Play” showcases the scene of people watching puppet shows during the Ming dynasty, where the small “robots” on stage are vividly lifelike. Author’s photo
Liu Ruoyu’s “Zhe Zhong Zhi” provides a detailed account of the stories and performances of “robots” in the Ming dynasty. Popular performances during the Ming dynasty included the Duke of England defeating the Li King three times, Kong Ming capturing Meng Huo seven times, the eunuch Sanbao sailing to the West, the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, and Sun Wukong causing havoc in the Dragon Palace.
The early Qing dynasty’s “Yuchu Xinzhi” records that when Huang Lizhuang was seven or eight years old, he made a small wooden figure about a foot long that could walk on its own and move its limbs. The Qing dynasty’s “Liaozhai Zhiyi: Wooden Beauty” describes a wooden beauty over a foot tall, dressed in colorful clothing, resembling a real person. When placed on a dog with a saddle, she could ride the real dog and perform various equestrian skills, such as stepping on the stirrups, hiding under the dog’s belly, sliding from the dog’s waist to its tail, grabbing its tail and leaping onto its back, or kneeling and standing on the dog’s back, all with agility and skill. She would also perform the story of Wang Zhaojun going beyond the Great Wall with a wooden male figure, who wore a wild chicken feather hat, a sheepskin robe, and rode on another dog behind the wooden beauty, while the wooden beauty, playing Zhaojun, frequently turned back to look, and the male figure would chase after her, performing as if they were real people.
The Qing dynasty’s “Mai You Ji” records a Taoist priest from Maoshan. A villager named Dai Kuangru learned magic from him. The priest took out a small bamboo tube and told him that if he had any questions, he could ask into the tube, and a small figure would emerge to answer. Dai Kuangru tried it, recited a spell, and indeed a small figure about two inches tall jumped out, instantly growing to over ten feet tall. This bamboo tube is somewhat like a “voice sound device” or a voice robot on our mobile phones.
Some of the “robots” recorded in these ancient texts actually existed, reflecting a form of ancient technological achievement, while others may stem from imagination and belong to the realm of science fiction. In any case, the records from various dynasties show that ancient Chinese people did not lack brilliant imagination and strong practical skills in technology.
Source: “Guangming Daily” October 27, 2023, Page 16
Original Title:“Robots” in Ancient Texts