2,300-year-old wine found near Great Wall ruin reveals ancient brewing secrets

“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 2km (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.