Cengfanyu
01 · Lineage & Regional School
A senior technician, she is the twelfth-generation bearer of Yongchuan douchi brewing craftsmanship. Within the regional tradition and school record of Douchiniangzhijiyi in Chongqing: The Yongchuan douchi brewing craft takes Yongchuan District, Chongqing as its authentic place of origin; relying on air of 84% average humidity and abundant well water to nourish the microbial community dominated by Mucor, the craft spread toward the Jiangjin and Bishan areas. The Yongchuan branch adopts the Mucor type with the cycle extended to a full year; koji-making is where the various houses diverge, the key lying in the looseness and thickness of the koji mass and the rhythm of the "nourishing fire." In the present day it is carried on by Zeng Fanyu. Fermented soybean (douchi) brewing has a long history in China; records of douchi production already appeared in the "Qimin Yaoshu" (Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People) of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Douchi production in Yongchuan, Chongqing, began around the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming dynasty (1644); by the Republic-of-China era, 13 workshops were already engaged in production.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Female, Han Chinese, born in August 1966 in Chongqing. She is a national representative bearer of Douchi Brewing Craftsmanship (Yongchuan Douchi Brewing Craftsmanship), a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. She is thoroughly familiar with every step of the craft and is especially skilled in the key stage of koji making. She can adjust the looseness and thickness of the koji bed according to the moisture of the cooked beans, the growth phase of the culture and ambient conditions, and can respond appropriately and precisely at the heating, growth, late-heating and koji-resting stages, so that the finished koji is neither loose nor compact, neither sticky nor crumbly, neither soft nor hard. Within the documented technical tradition of Douchiniangzhijiyi in Chongqing: Douchi is a healthy food with effects such as lowering blood lipids, resisting aging, preventing cancer, and enhancing human immunity, and it is widely popular. It uses high-quality black soybeans as the main raw material, with five-spice, star anise, and other Chinese medicines and spices as auxiliary materials, produced through processes such as fermentation, steaming, mold-washing, aroma enhancement, and dehydration. Douchi can be divided into three types: Mucor-type, Aspergillus oryzae-type, and bacterial-type, of which the Mucor-type is the best. China's douchi brewing craft mainly spreads in Sichuan, Hunan, Chongqing, and other places. Douchi is one of the specialties of eastern Sichuan and Chongqing. The authentic place of origin of Yongchuan douchi is Yongchuan District, Chongqing. Here there is little air pollution, the temperature is suitable, the average humidity is 84%, and groundwater resources are abundant; these natural conditions promote the reproduction of microbes dominated by Mucor, making it suitable for douchi production. Yongchuan douchi belongs to the Mucor type; it uses soybeans as raw material, and its production process includes more than ten process steps such as selecting and removing impurities, rinsing, soaking, spreading to cool, making the starter, mixing, potting, and later fermentation; during production, the soybeans must be fermented under the action of microbes at low and room temperatures for as long as a year. The proteins within the soybeans, under the action of various enzymes, produce amino acids, finally forming douchi that is glossy and black, fragrant and moist, and delicious and agreeable to the palate. Yongchuan douchi is not only fresh and tasty and easy to digest, but also rich in nutrition and beneficial to health, and is widely welcomed by consumers in both domestic and foreign markets. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Archival Record of Process Steps": Yongchuan douchi belongs to the Mucor type; it uses soybeans as raw material, and its production process includes more than ten process steps such as selecting and removing impurities, rinsing, soaking, spreading to cool, making the starter, mixing, potting, and later fermentation; during production, the soybeans must be fermented under the action of microbes at low and room temperatures for as long as a year.
Archival Record of Process Steps
Yongchuan douchi belongs to the Mucor type; it uses soybeans as raw material, and its production process includes more than ten process steps such as selecting and removing impurities, rinsing, soaking, spreading to cool, making the starter, mixing, potting, and later fermentation; during production, the soybeans must be fermented under the action of microbes at low and room temperatures for as long as a year.
Core Technique I
Douchi is a healthy food with effects such as lowering blood lipids, resisting aging, preventing cancer, and enhancing human immunity, and it is widely popular.
Core Technique II
It uses high-quality black soybeans as the main raw material, with five-spice, star anise, and other Chinese medicines and spices as auxiliary materials, produced through processes such as fermentation, steaming, mold-washing, aroma enhancement, and dehydration.
Core Technique III
Douchi can be divided into three types: Mucor-type, Aspergillus oryzae-type, and bacterial-type, of which the Mucor-type is the best.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
She began brewing work in 1990 and received careful instruction and guidance from the koji masters Chen Zuxun and Hu Zhigang. The science and technology project for which she was responsible received the Chongqing Science and Technology Progress Award from the Chongqing Municipal People's Government.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
Fermented soybean (douchi) brewing has a long history in China; records of douchi production already appeared in the "Qimin Yaoshu" (Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People) of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Douchi production in Yongchuan, Chongqing, began around the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming dynasty (1644); by the Republic-of-China era, 13 workshops were already engaged in production.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cengfanyu | Chongqing | 05-2856 | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。