Hi, I've posted here in the past and had some very helpful replies. I'm hoping someone can offer me some assistance.

I'm doing research for a fictional story and I need to know about Chinese transportation in the 1800s. I'm not sure yet if my story will take place before or after railroads existed in China. From reading here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ra...nsport_in_China I see that railway building didn't really start until the late 1800's and mainly took off in th early 20th Century.

I'm wondering how passengers and freight were moved from the port cities into smaller towns in the interior. Were there "Way Stations" where passengers would stop temporarily on their journey? What would these places be called? Were there places that cargo would be stored while waiting to be routed to various final destinations? What would these "distribution centers" and "transportation hubs" be called?

Thank you.

They travelled from cities to cities by riding horses or carriages. In between are 'resting hubs' or inn known as "Yi Zhan 驿站", where they can rest overnight to continue the way.

However, if one's traveling from north to south (long distance) or vice versa, the best way is to travel by boat through the Grand Canal, which was already constructed during Sui dynasty linking Beijing to the Jiangnan region. Many cargo were usually transported by boat through the Grand Canal.