As early as the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, there was the practice of cutting blocks of ice from frozen rivers in winter to use for the cold storage of the fresh and dried fish sent in tribute from throughout the empire.
為了保存各地進獻的鮮魚、乾魚，夏商周三代砍取冬天冰封的冰塊，將千百種水產「冰藏」。