China has been a major agricultural country since ancient times. The use of horses as farm implements and means of transportation gave rise to hitching posts.The hitching posts of early days were made from timber. But are left to this day are mostly those made of stone during Ming and Qing dynasties. Today, the hitching post have long lost its practical value, but their anistic value is becoming increasingly appreciated.
The art of hitching posts finds expression in the carving of the capital and neck of such a post. Round sculpture is integrated with relief and linear carving, and the motifs run the gamut from the Sakyamuni cult and Confucius preaching his doctrines to Lao Zi riding a buffalo. There are also such auspicious animals and plants as lions, unicorns, magpies, glossy ganoderma, and celestial grass. These motifs are mostly derived from historical tales, folk legends, elebrations and festivals, and traditional operas.
The hitching posts, besides their practical purpose for lassoing draft animals, also served to show off the prosperity of family in old days. Some of them stands as tall as 3 metres - they were obviously not for hitching horses but served as symbols of family's social status and cultural attainment.