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A comprehensive analysis of the materials of the ancient Seawall in Hangzhou, China

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Abstract

The ancient seawalls of the Qiantang River have a long history. They served as crucial structures for safeguarding coastal areas against tides and reached their peak of construction during the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the innovative use of starch mortar as cement material greatly enhanced the strength of seawalls. In Linping District, Hangzhou, on the north bank of the Qiantang River, a significant discovery was made in 2021. It involved a large fish-scale stonewall dating back to 1784–1987, corresponding to the 49th to 52nd year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty. In this paper, the main materials of the stone seawall were analyzed using section analysis, X-ray diffraction, microscopic analysis, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results show that the plum pile at the bottom of the stone seawall was made of Chinese fir; the stones in the seawall body had various types, and the iron materials at the stone joint had both cast iron and steel. The report on adding glutinous rice juice to the mortar has also been confirmed. These can provide a reference for protecting and restoring the seawall sites.

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Data Availability Statement

All the data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by The Conservation Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage (Grant Number 2023015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Art and Archaeology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310028, People’s Republic of China

    Hui Lu, Yulan Hu & Yang Wu

  2. Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, People’s Republic of China

    Bingjian Zhang

  3. Hangzhou Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute, Hangzhou, 310008, People’s Republic of China

    Zhengyu Wang

  4. The Traditional Architecture Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310030, People’s Republic of China

    Yonghua Ma

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  1. Hui Lu
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Correspondence to Bingjian Zhang or Yulan Hu.

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Lu, H., Zhang, B., Hu, Y. et al. A comprehensive analysis of the materials of the ancient Seawall in Hangzhou, China. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 138, 1072 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-04704-9

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