Lu Zhenying

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Lu Zhenying, Male, Han, from Baofeng, Henan, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-144). The tradition is documented in Baofeng, Henan. Within the regional tradition and school record of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Baofeng, Henan: 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. For thousands of years Baofeng liquor has been much loved by men of letters and painters, and many moving stories have grown out of it; Li Bai, the "poet immortal" of the Tang dynasty, and Wu Daozi, the "sage of painting", both left works connected with Baofeng liquor. Baofeng liquor has repeatedly been rated a national-level quality famous liquor, and in 2002 it obtained registered certification for national designation-of-origin protection. Since the end of the twentieth century, large quantities of low-priced liquor made by modern techniques have been dumped on the market, dealing Baofeng liquor a severe blow; its brewing technique urgently needs protection and support.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Lu Zhenying is anchored in the documented technical standards of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Baofeng, Henan. Within the documented technical tradition of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Baofeng, Henan: 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. Baofeng liquor belongs to the light-aroma (qingxiang) type of baijiu and is named for Baofeng County in Henan Province. Its brewing history can be traced back to the age of Xia Yu and reached its height during the Tang and Song dynasties. Baofeng liquor uses locally produced high-quality sorghum as its raw material and a qu made from a mixture of barley, wheat and peas; it is brewed by the "clear steaming, twice clearing" process together with fermentation in ground-set earthen jars and ageing in pottery jars. The liquor is fragrant and pure, sweet and smooth on the palate, with a long aftertaste. The key steps of the traditional Baofeng brewing technique are entirely manual; the process is complex and the costs are high. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Blending the qu from three grains": Local sorghum is the grain, while barley, wheat and peas are blended into the qu, which acts as both saccharifying and fermenting agent and sets the clean style. "Clean steaming and the second clean run": Clean steaming with a second clean run, worked together with pit fermentation and jar ageing, keeps the lees clearly separated so the light character can emerge. "Fermentation in the buried jars": Slow fermentation in ceramic jars supplies the stable lees for the clean-steam sequence, the slight permeability letting ageing begin even as it ferments. "Ageing in earthen jars": The final resting stage before bottling follows pit fermentation in the jars, turning the raw new spirit into something mellow and long in finish.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Lu Zhenying was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship, with Baofeng, Henan as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship in Baofeng, Henan: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Baofeng, Henan as its declared area, and Baofeng Jiuye 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. Luzhenying (Baofeng, Henan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Luzhenying · China ICH Official Archive