Chinese used rice pudding as cement
Submitted by vicky on Tuesday, 01 March 2005 Page Views: 4341
Multi-periodCountry: China Type: Ancient Village or SettlementInternal Links:
Children forced over the years to eat rice pudding will not be surprised to learn that it was used in part to hold together China's historic fortifications.The discovery by archaeologists may even prove the story passed down the centuries that sticky rice was used in building the Great Wall, reports Richard Spencer of The Telegraph in Beijing. The archaeologists' conclusions are based on analysis of mortar from the walls of the ancient capital, Xi'an, home to the terracotta warriors.
Xi'an and the Great Wall were built on the orders of Qinshihuangdi, the first emperor of a unified China in the 3rd century BC.
The city walls, which still completely surround the city, date in their current form from the Ming dynasty in the 14th century.
Plasterwork removed during renovations was taken away for analysis after it proved particularly tough. Tests gave the same results as a study of what the Chinese call sticky rice porridge, normally eaten for breakfast.
Qin Jianming, of the Xi'an cultural relics preservation and restoration centre, told the state media that infra-red analysis also showed that the mortar and the rice had the same molecular structure. That led his team to conclude that they were one and the same material.
Source: The Telegraph 01/03/2005
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