In ancient times, ice cellars similar to modern cold storage warehouses were invented.
The ancient ice cellar had an ancient name, called "Lingyin". Archaeological discoveries are constantly being made, and one of the most representative is the Lingyin site of Yongcheng, the capital of the Qin Dynasty in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, in Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province.
The Lingyin Building at this site is a sloping pit about 10 meters long and wide dug in the middle. The bottom of the pit is paved with sand and stone slabs, and ice cubes can be placed on them. Aqueducts and drainage ditches are laid at the bottom of the pit, leading directly to a nearby river. This is because the ice cubes will inevitably melt during the storage process, so drainage facilities are necessary.
Archaeologists also found the remains of several locks on both sides of the ditch.drainage. It is believed that their function is to drain melting ice water and prevent river water from entering the cooler. Through calculation, we learned that the volume of the ice cellar is approximately 190 cubic meters. According to the “Zhou Li” literature, about 2/3 of the ice stored in winter will melt in summer, and the remaining third can be used in summer.
Detailed Information
In the palace of the Qing Dynasty, a square box was usually made of wood and placed on a specially designed wooden frame. The box is made of lead or tin, which can not only insulate the box, but also prevent water melting ice from corroding the wooden box. At the bottom of the box there are small holes to drain the ice water.
Obviously, this is relatively close to modern refrigeration equipment and can be described as a modern "refrigerator", but it is not sufficiently "advanced" tor use a power supply.
People's Daily Online - Where did the ice used by ancient people in summer come from?