Chinanews, Xi'an, June 14 - The No.4 and No 5 ruins in the Changle Palace Museum were opened to the general public recently, including an ancient royal ice storage, which for the first time reveals how ancient Chinese kept and used ice.The Changle Palace is located in the northeast of the ruins of Changan, the capital of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 24). It was first the office of Hangaozu, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty, and then the residence of the empress dowager. It covered nearly 1/6 of Changan in area. The excavation project for the No.4 and No 5 ruins in Changle Palace was launched in 2003, and completed in 2005. Nowadays, the ruins are encompassed by glass, through which the visitors can see the ruins clearly.The major part of the No.5 ruins should be an ice storage, as its walls are extraordinarily thick as thermal insulator. The ancient people collected ice cubes from frozen river in winter, and kept them in the ice storage. Thus in summer, the royal members could enjoy cool drinks and fresh food.