China had sowing machinery in the Warring States period. In the time of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, Zhao Guo created and invented the three-legged columbine which could sow three rows at the same time on the basis of one-legged columbine and two-legged columbine. With an ox pulling it, one person holding the ox and the other holding the sow, a hectare of land could be sown in a day, greatly improving the efficiency of sowing. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once ordered to popularize this advanced sowing machine throughout the country.

The restored model of the three-legged columbine of the Han Dynasty is now displayed in the Museum of Chinese History. It is constructed like this: the three small iron spares below are for ditching, called the feet of the columbine, the rear center is empty, and the distance between the two feet is a ridge. The three wooden, hollow columbine legs have the lower end embedded in the axe of the columbine share, and the upper end is connected with the seed trough. The lower front of the seed trough is connected to the front of the columbine by a rectangular opening. Under the rear of the columbine is an opening, live-fitted with a gate, and tightened by a wedge tube. In order to prevent the seeds from blocking the opening, a bamboo stick is suspended from one of the pillars of the handle of the columbine, and the front end of the stick goes into the lower part of the hopper to fasten it, and a piece of iron is tied to it in the middle. There are two shafts on each side of the columbine, which can accommodate one oxen apart. Behind the handle.

Before sowing, according to the type of seed, the size of the grain, the soil dry and wet, adjust the gate of the opening of the columbarium, so that the seed at a certain time outflow of how much is just right. Then the seeds to be sown are put into the bucket, pulled by oxen, with one person leading the oxen and one person supporting the sow. Sowers control the height of the handle to adjust the depth of the foot of the sow into the soil, but also adjust the depth of the sowing, while walking and shaking, the seed automatically from the hopper out of the sow, divided into three strands through the leg of the sow and then through the sowshare of the bottom of the sowing into the soil. In the wooden frame behind the sow, with two strands of rope hanging a square wooden rod, placed horizontally on the ridge of sowing, with the sow forward, automatically rake the soil, the seed covered under the soil, so that once the furrow, seed, cover the task is completed. And then additionally with the natural scenery compaction, so that the seed and soil closely attached together, germination and growth.

The whole function of the latest modern seeding machine is only to open the furrow, seeding, covering, compaction of the four processes completed one after another, and our three-legged columbarium more than 2,000 years ago has long been the first three processes linked together by the same machinery to complete. At that time to be able to create such an advanced sowing machine, is indeed a very significant achievement. This is one of the major inventions in agricultural machinery in ancient China.