"Much of it was, and still is. But they have found a way to make use such land to feed an empire."

"Their food is quite different but oruza is cooked less as a gruel and more as softened grains. It can be made to stick to itself to form balls or eaten from a bowl. Or ground fine as as we would with wheat and made in noodles. It grows fast, is very nutritious and dried properly; can be stored for great lengths of time and transported easily. I suspect it is one of the keys to why the Sino Empire is so large and powerful."