Xu Zhancheng

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Xu Zhancheng, Male, Han, from Mianzhu, Sichuan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-144). The tradition is documented in Mianzhu, Sichuan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Mianzhu, Sichuan: By aroma type, distilled liquor can further be divided into sauce-aroma, light-aroma, strong-aroma, rice-aroma, composite-aroma and other types. In ancient times distilled liquor was called "shaojiu" (burnt liquor) or "chunjiu" (mellow liquor); it evolved originally from low-alcohol rice wine, took shape around the Song dynasty, and has a history of more than eight hundred years. The traditional Jiannanchun brewing technique had basically taken shape in the High Tang period; after being transmitted and developed through the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, by the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty the traditional brewing technique of Mianzhu Daqu liquor, of which Jiannanchun is the representative, was continually improved and reached full maturity. Eleven pits built in the early years of the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty in the "Tianyi Laohao" distillery are still in use today and are called "living artifacts" in the history of brewing.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Xu Zhancheng is anchored in the documented technical standards of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Mianzhu, Sichuan. Within the documented technical tradition of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Mianzhu, Sichuan: In the brewing of distilled liquor, starchy or sugary raw materials such as grains and tubers are first made into fermented mash (unfiltered liquor) or fermented into a cloudy fermented liquid (muddy liquor), which is then distilled into spirits. Distilled liquor is white or slightly yellow and transparent, and is therefore commonly called "baijiu" (white liquor). Its aroma is fragrant and pure, it is smooth, sweet and clean on the palate, and its alcohol content is relatively high, making it a strong liquor. Judged by the raw materials used and the saccharifying and fermenting agents, distilled-liquor brewing involves different techniques using daqu (large qu), xiaoqu (small qu) or fuqu (bran qu). Distilled liquor is made mainly from grain and can be divided into sorghum liquor, maize liquor and other types; sorghum, being high in starch and moderate in protein, is the most suitable for brewing distilled liquor. China's distilled liquor is produced mainly in Sichuan, Guizhou, Henan, Hebei, Shenyang, Jilin, Beijing and other regions, and the formation of its brewing methods is closely related to the local grains (abundant sorghum), climate (cold or humid), water quality and living customs. Jiannanchun liquor is produced in Mianzhu City, Sichuan Province. It uses five grains — glutinous rice, rice, wheat, sorghum and maize — as raw materials; in brewing, wheat is first made into medium-to-high-temperature qu, fermentation is carried out at low temperature in solid state in mud pits, and the liquor is then finished by the processes of continuous mash charging, mixed steaming and mixed firing, quality-based liquor drawing, storage at original proof, and blending and seasoning. The traditional Jiannanchun brewing technique is relatively elaborate, including the techniques of making, maintaining and caring for the mud pits, of making and appraising daqu medicine, of brewing and drawing the base liquor, of ageing the base liquor, of tasting and blending, and some other related techniques. Jiannanchun production has always used the ancient brewing technique of "solid-state fermentation of pure grain in mud pits". Jiannanchun liquor is richly aromatic, pure and elegant, mellow and supple, sweet and clean with a lingering aftertaste, and full and rounded in body; it is regarded as an important representative of China's strong-aroma baijiu. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Building and maintaining the mud pits": The craft divides into pit building and upkeep, qu making and grading, fermenting and cutting, ageing, and tasting and blending — and the mud pit, being both vessel and habitat, demands its own skill. "Making and grading the medium-high temperature qu": Of five grains, wheat is first made into a medium-high temperature qu, whose making and grading set the saccharifying power and the style of everything after it. "Solid-state low-temperature fermentation in mud pits": Slow solid-state fermentation in the pit, followed by lees carry-over, mixed steaming and burning, volume-based cutting, original-proof storage and blending. "Cutting by quality as well as volume": Cutting each fraction by both volume and quality before storing it separately — the basis of the base-wine grading system and the ceiling on what blending can achieve.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Xu Zhancheng was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship, with Mianzhu, Sichuan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Mianzhu, Sichuan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Mianzhu, Sichuan as its declared area, and Sichuan Jiannanchun Group Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

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.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Xuzhancheng (Mianzhu, Sichuan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Xuzhancheng · China ICH Official Archive