人力车 (rénlìchē): rickshaw

Literally 'human-power vehicle'. The rickshaw was actually invented in Japan around 1869 (Japanese 人力車 jinrikisha → English 'rickshaw') and spread to China by the 1880s. It became iconic of Republican-era cities and today survives mostly in tourist contexts and as 三轮车 (sānlúnchē, pedicab).

In Pop Culture

骆驼祥子 Luòtuo Xiángzi

Rickshaw Boy / Camel Xiangzi

Lao She's 1936 novel about a Beijing rickshaw puller, the canonical literary work centered on the 人力车 trade and a high-school reading in mainland China.