> Most Chinese even have no idea of this, that their daily rice supplies are usually 5+ yrs old Even during the Maoist period 'new rice' was given out/sold onc

> Most Chinese even have no idea of this, that their daily rice supplies are usually 5+ yrs old Even during the Maoist period 'new rice' was given out/sold once a year for celebration. Everyone was aware they were eating rotated granary rice. Storing crops against famine (and eating the old, stored grain) is an ancient tradition [1] dating back to at least 6000 BC, and in China, guarding against famine was one of the earliest tasks of the Chinese proto-state. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granary