- 28 Feb 2005, 14:55
#1711
Ancient Chinese craftsmen used a secret ingredient to keep their structures standing through the centuries - sticky rice.
The legend that rice porridge was used in mortar to make robust ramparts has been verified by archaeological research in the north-western province of Shaanxi, the state news agency Xinhua reports.
During recent maintenance work on the city wall of the provincial capital Xi'an, workers found that plaster remnants on ancient bricks were quite hard to remove, preservationist Qin Jianming said.
A chemical test showed that the mortar reacted the same as glutinous rice to a reagent.
Infra-red spectral analysis also showed that the mortar displayed a similar molecular structure to glutinous rice.
"Thus we can conclude that the sticky material was in the mortar," Mr Qin was quoted as saying.
Mr Qin said the use of this sticky material helps explain why many ancient Chinese brick structures are still standing.
The walls of Xi'an were built in the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Look out for a civil engineer soon in a kitchen near you!
Source Credits: ABC News online | Sci-tech.
The legend that rice porridge was used in mortar to make robust ramparts has been verified by archaeological research in the north-western province of Shaanxi, the state news agency Xinhua reports.
During recent maintenance work on the city wall of the provincial capital Xi'an, workers found that plaster remnants on ancient bricks were quite hard to remove, preservationist Qin Jianming said.
A chemical test showed that the mortar reacted the same as glutinous rice to a reagent.
Infra-red spectral analysis also showed that the mortar displayed a similar molecular structure to glutinous rice.
"Thus we can conclude that the sticky material was in the mortar," Mr Qin was quoted as saying.
Mr Qin said the use of this sticky material helps explain why many ancient Chinese brick structures are still standing.
The walls of Xi'an were built in the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Look out for a civil engineer soon in a kitchen near you!
Source Credits: ABC News online | Sci-tech.
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- By BatoolM