What did Dragon-Bone Water Lift look like?

A long wooden trough containing an endless chain with paddles. A hand-cranked sprocket is at the upper end, and the lower end is submerged in water.

How did Dragon-Bone Water Lift work?

Manual crank turns sprocket → chain circulates → paddles form sealed moving spaces within the trough → water is pushed upward from low to high elevation.

← DiscoveriesA-Tier · Major Innovation

龙骨水车

Dragon-Bone Water Lift

A chain-paddle sealed water conveyance machine using positive-displacement principles to lift water. China's most widely used traditional irrigation tool.

龙骨水车

Scientific Principle

Continuous positive-displacement conveyance: paddles and trough walls form moving sealed chambers, progressively lifting the water level.

龙骨水车

Dragon-Bone Water Lift

Scientific Principle

Related · 东汉