Why is the Yellow River Iron Bull still intact after 1000 years?

In fact, the reason why the iron cow has been preserved so far is presumed to be nothing more than two reasons. One is that its raw material is not high-purity iron, so the rust reaction is not obvious. The other is that the iron cow is coated with a rust-proof coating, which has not completely peeled off so far, so it is still well preserved.

These are only guesses and imaginations at present, and the real reason is unknown, which is still an unsolved mystery. Iron ox is not only the ground anchor of the bridge, but also acts as a water-saving beast. Niu Rukun, Kun is soil, and soil is better than water. Therefore, cattle are the water-saving treasure in China traditional culture. At present, four iron cows have been found on the east coast, but the one on the west coast has not been found yet. Due to the proximity to the Yellow River, the air is humid and the underground water seepage is constant, which leads to the serious corrosion of the unearthed iron cow. Using modern advanced anti-corrosion technology, the iron cow no longer rusts. Applying corrosion inhibitor to the unearthed iron cow every two years can effectively prevent the iron cow from rusting.

It is the most scientific anti-corrosion technology to coat the above-ground cultural relics with corrosion inhibitor and protect the underground part by electrochemical method. It is a joint effort of scientific and technical personnel from China National Museum, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Shanxi Institute of Archaeology.