the "barrow" portion of the wheelbarrow can carry loose items, including dirt or even water Here I believe you are confounding a hollow body with central wheel

the "barrow" portion of the wheelbarrow can carry loose items, including dirt or even water Here I believe you are confounding a hollow body with central wheel placement, these are two disparate and potentially mutually compatible features. anyone who has ever driven a well loaded wheelbarrow knows that they have a considerable danger of tipping, and I think this would be accentuated in the chinese design If intended for heavy loads they tend to have stands emerging from the outer sides/corners (these are visible in many of the article's images), just the same as the modern ones. Also, because the weight is better balanced in the Chinese central-wheel model you can arguably use a fatter wheel (since you are taking less load and therefore have an easier time controlling the thing) which means increased stability and increased strength and longevity. Also, reduced affinity for 'sinking' in muddy or sandy conditions. Placing most of the weight near the axle between the wheel and the ground One observation is that the Chinese design (central placement of larger wheel) makes this possible with a higher center of gravity (and therefore easier to guide, while avoiding undesirable interactions of the load with plants/water/animals/etc.). A concern in wet weather, overgrown paths, etc. A chinese wheelbarrow will require much more time to load I believe this is a misconception based upon the view of the modern western wheelbarrow which is designed both as a vessel and a vehicle. Coming from an ancient Chinese peasant's perspective, the wheelbarrow would be an all-weather replacement for pack animals, and therefore the likelihood is that goods (for example agricultural harvests) would first be placed in to an appropriate container and then slung over the wheelbarrow in paired or otherwise balanced loads. The slinging would not require any real time investment, probably less than an animal. It means that you can bring the wheelbarrow down a winding path in mountainous fields, take your rattan or similar basket, load your harvest, and then dump it on the wheelbarrow. You might load 4, 6, 8 or 10 such baskets before moving the wheelbarrow. The above assumptions are based on my own observations observing actual agricultural work in remoter parts of China and Southeast Asia over the last 20 years. Strangely, this whole discussion reminds me of the outrageously expensive industry of modern baby strollers, but also the modern stand-on electric monowheel style scooters, which could be said to be essentially a powered version of the simplistic form of the Chinese wheelbarrow.