This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

You heard it here before though maybe not first: China invented everything. From gunpowder to the wheelbarrow to paper and ink, it was made in China first. Which puts the Chinese in a bind. I mean, after you’ve invented everything, what’s a country to do? Reinvent something. Like the wheel, for example. That old saw “Let’s not reinvent the wheel” notwithstanding, a contemporary Chinese engineer has done just that. His wheels are not round. Inspired by the shape of a pencil, they are hexagonal or sometimes triangular. When mounted on a bicycle, they require a special axle and suspension system in order to provide a smooth ride. Was this really necessary? No. But perhaps non-necessity is the mother of reinvention.

From the Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.