BEIJING — A well-preserved bronze Warring States-era wine vessel containing 2,300-year-old wine was discovered at the Shanjiabao cemetery. Here it is pictured in the lab.
“He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man,” former Chinese leader Mao Zedong wrote in a poem while passing through the Liupan Mountains in Guyuan, Gansu, during the Long March of the Red Army in October 1935.
The Great Wall he mentioned refers to the Qin Great Wall built during the Warring States period of Qin (325-251 BC), which has a history dating back 2,300 years. It is one of the earliest ancient Great Walls built in China.
Recently, a well-preserved bronze wine vessel was discovered at the Shanjiabao cemetery, located 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from the Warring States Qin Great Wall. The ancient Warring States-era jar remained perfectly sealed and still glistened, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.
“This study provides a clear understanding of the cereals utilisation and brewing techniques of the Qin people, contributing to the reconstruction of ancient Chinese brewing technology and also refining the development process,” wrote Chen Ruru, a Northwest University PhD candidate and first author of the study.
Along the 170km stretch of the Qin Great Wall, there are numerous forts, castles and barrier outposts of various sizes. At the time of the Warring States period, border soldiers and their families lived within fortified passes, castles and defensive outposts.
The Ningxia Institute of Archaeology began excavating the Shanjiabao Cemetery in March 2024.
