A carrying pole or yoke used in Asia, typically for transporting goods or water buckets balanced on the shoulders.
From Chinese 'gang' (杠), referring to a carrying pole. The word entered English through colonial trade in Asia and reflects the practical technologies developed in Asian cultures for burden-carrying.
The kang is a brilliant engineering solution—by using a pole balanced on the shoulders with baskets on each end, it distributes weight evenly across the entire spine rather than just one arm, which is why it's still used in Asia after thousands of years.
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