Archeologists discover ancient paddy
Print Edition
CHINESE archeologists said they have found a paddy dating back more than 8,000 years, which could be the earliest wet rice farming site in the world.
The field, covering less than 100 square meters, was discovered at the neolithic ruins of Hanjing in Sihong County, east China’s Jiangsu Province, in November, according to a spokesman with the archeology institute of Nanjing Museum.
At a seminar held in April to discuss findings, more than 70 scholars from universities, archeology institutes and museums across the country concluded that the wet rice field was the oldest ever found.
Researchers with the institute said the paddy was divided into parts with different shapes, each covering less than 10 square meters.
They also found carbonized rice that was confirmed to have grown 8,000 years ago based on carbon dating, as well as evidence that the soil was repeatedly planted with rice.
Lin Liugen, head of the institute, said Chinese started to cultivate rice about 10,000 years ago and carbonized rice of the age has been found, but paddy remnants are quite rare.
The latest findings are significant for research on the origin of rice farming in China, he said.
New find at Forbidden City
ARCHEOLOGISTS working at the 600-year-old Forbidden City, or officially known as the Palace Museum, in Beijing have discovered foundations of buildings from an even earlier dynasty.
Underneath the former royal palace used by the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) are foundation remains that could be from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), said Li Ji, a senior researcher with the Institute of the Palace Museum. The palace complex was home to Chinese emperors from 1420 to 1911.
The archeologists also discovered foundations of a previously unknown construction from the Ming Dynasty and shards of imperial porcelain.
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