How was the ice stored in the cold drink culture in Song Dynasty?

Nowadays, people usually use ice cream and cold drinks to cope with summer. Not many people should remember the taste of popsicles when they were children. But for people in the Song Dynasty, popsicles and all kinds of iced drinks can be said to be sharp tools to cool off the heat, but there was no refrigerator at that time. How are ice cubes stored?

In fact, the method of storing ice was not invented in Song Dynasty. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, people have learned to store ice cubes in winter for use in summer. For example, there is a saying in the Book of Songs: "The second day of the ice rush, the third day of the ice rush", which is the ancient ice rush, that is to say, it was probably carved in December of the lunar calendar, hidden in the ice room in the first month, and can be taken out for use in summer.

Later, the royal family began to pay attention to ice storage, and generally set up an ice bank for the royal family to enjoy in summer. Icehouses were called "Lingshi" in ancient times, and the time of ice storage was the same as that in ancient times. In fact, a cellar was dug underground, which can store hundreds of cubic meters of ice and cover it with soil for insulation. The method is primitive. Under normal circumstances, two-thirds of the ice will melt, so more ice will be prepared when storing ice.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, people also began to have the tradition of storing ice. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, commerce was relatively developed. Some people sell iced drinks and popsicles to store ice in summer. The method is the same as before, but on a smaller scale. Popsicles and some very delicious iced drinks in Jiangnan area basically appeared at this time.

Later, an ice storage weapon called "ice guide" appeared, but it was not for large-scale ice storage, but equivalent to the current refrigerator. It's actually a cabinet with a mezzanine. Put ice cubes in the interlayer and cover it. Ice cubes will not melt if they are kept for a long time, and can be used to store iced drinks and so on. It is an advanced ice storage method in ancient times.