Qianli chuan (Chinese:千里船;pinyin:qiānlǐchuán;lit. 'thousand league boat'[1][2]) werepaddle wheel boats used in medieval China. The boats were driven byhuman pedaling and were able to cruise hundreds of kilometers per day with no wind blowing.[1]
Qianli chuan were invented in the late 5th century AD during theSouthern Qi dynasty, and the invention is attributed to the ancient Chinese astronomer and mathematicianZu Chongzhi.[1][3][2][4] References made to the boat were made recalling various tests on the Xinting River, south of modernNanjing. The boat was proven to be able to cruise several hundred kilometers in a single day without any wind blowing.[1] Late-8th-century AD records have descriptions of theqanli chuan as a type of naval boat that had two wheels found on its sides that was propelled by treadmills.[2]
The boat was recorded as being used in thebattle of Caishi andbattle of Tangdao.[5]
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