Traditional sources attribute the invention of the chariot to the Xia dynasty minister Xi Zhong,[4][5][6] and say they were used at the Battle of Gan (甘之戰) in the 21st century BCE.

[1][2][3] Contemporary oracle bone inscriptions of the character 車 depict a chariot-like two wheeled vehicle with a single pole for the attachment of horses.

[13] Ancient Chinese chariots were typically two wheeled vehicles drawn by two or four horses[14] with a single draught pole measuring around 3 m long that was originally straight but later evolved into two curved shafts.

At the front end of the pole there was a horizontal draw-bar about one meter long with wooden yokes attached, to which the horses would be harnessed.

Wooden wheels with a diameter of between approximately 1.2 – 1.4 m were mounted on a three-meter-long (9.8 ft) axle and secured at each end with a bronze hubcap.

Key components such as the pole, hubcap and yoke were reinforced with decorated copper castings, increasing the chariot's stability and durability.

By the time of the Spring and Autumn period the gē had largely been superseded by the halberd or jĭ (戟) which had a spear blade at the end of the shaft in addition to the axe head and dagger.

The chariot's archer was armed either a bow (gōng 弓) or crossbow (nŭ 弩) for long distance attacks.

When the two sides were within range, they would first exchange arrow or crossbow fire, hoping that through superior numbers they would cause disorder and confusion in the enemy ranks.

Only about three meters wide, with infantry riding on both sides, the chariot was highly inflexible as a fighting machine and difficult to turn around.

The accompanying infantry would then be deployed forward of the chariot, a broad formation that denied the enemy the opportunity for pincer attacks.

Senior officers would use drums and flags to command the army's advance and retreat, speed and to make formation adjustments.

A typical example of the importance of disciplined forces occurred during the Zhou overthrow of Shang at the decisive Battle of Muye in 1046 BCE.

As the Zhou army moved forward, the infantry and chariots were commanded to stop and regroup after every six or seven steps to maintain formation.

Both troop formations and the flexibility of the chariot subsequently underwent major developments with infantry placing a much larger role in combat.