Niangcujiyi
01 · Historical Records
The origins of Baoning vinegar lie in the ancient folk brewing methods of northeastern Sichuan; Langzhong was known in ancient times as Baoning, lying in the northern part of the Sichuan Basin and the middle reaches of the Jialing River, where the humid climate and abundant groundwater prepared the conditions for it. This process takes the high-quality wheat bran abundantly produced locally as the main ingredient, combined with twenty medicinal herbs that are both food and medicine; its seven stages of starter making, fermentation, percolating the vinegar, blending, boiling, filtering, and aging total 42 process steps, forming a route distinct from the northern solid-state bran-fermented vinegars. After the Baoning Vinegar Factory was completed in 1954, master-apprentice and communal transmission proceeded side by side; today it has nearly one hundred inheritors and nearly one thousand practitioners, and the factory's history and the technique's history here are a single line.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The traditional Baoning vinegar brewing process is a traditional handicraft that comprehensively refines and transforms the ancient folk brewing techniques of northeastern Sichuan and adopts a unique recipe, taking shape gradually; it is now mainly spread in the old city district of Langzhong City, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province. Langzhong, known in ancient times as 'Baoning,' lies in the northern part of the Sichuan Basin and the middle reaches of the Jialing River; its subtropical humid monsoon climate provides a good natural environment for crop growth (wheat, grain, and other raw materials for Baoning vinegar). Langzhong City has relatively abundant groundwater resources, rich in trace elements mainly of mineral nature, pure and sweet, providing a quality guarantee for the water used in vinegar making. The traditional Baoning vinegar brewing process has a history of one hundred years; it takes the high-quality wheat bran abundantly produced locally as the main ingredient, adds twenty medicinal herbs that are both food and medicine, and takes starter making, fermentation, percolating the vinegar, blending, boiling, filtering, and aging as its core, for a total of 42 process steps; the brewing process throughout follows the principles of pure-grain brewing and natural fermentation. The main process steps include weighing the starter-making raw materials; crushing, mixing, and moistening the starter-making raw materials; mechanically pressing the starter blocks; fermentation; moisture venting; repeatedly turning the starter; crushing the starter blocks; weighing and crushing the vinegar-making raw materials; charging the materials; mixing the materials; activating the yeast; alcohol fermentation; breaking the cap; repeatedly turning the cupei (fermented grain); transferring the cupei to vats; staged soaking of the cupei; drawing off vinegar by grade; blending the raw vinegar; falling-film treatment; sterilizing the raw vinegar; filtering, testing, and tanking the mature vinegar, then post-ripening; filtering; sterilization; bottling; and testing. Baoning vinegar has the characteristics of 'reddish-brown color, mild sourness, mellow fragrance with a return of sweetness, and a full-bodied, lingering flavor,' and can be called a fine seasoning. The traditional Baoning vinegar brewing process is mainly distributed in the old city district of Langzhong, where the local people have largely made their living from vinegar making, passing the traditional brewing process down from generation to generation by family-style transmission. Baoning vinegar is one of the representatives of vinegar made with medicinal herbs, and long-term consumption is beneficial to health. The transmission and development of its brewing process is an embodiment of the mutual promotion of regional food culture and the development of labor productive forces, and it plays an active role in advancing related industries and leading the masses to prosperity and increased income.
Archival Records of Process Steps
The traditional Baoning vinegar brewing process has a history of one hundred years; it takes the high-quality wheat bran abundantly produced locally as the main ingredient, adds twenty medicinal herbs that are both food and medicine, and takes starter making, fermentation, percolating the vinegar, blending, boiling, filtering, and aging as its core, for a total of 42 process steps; the brewing process throughout follows the principles of pure-grain brewing and natural fermentation.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The traditional Baoning vinegar brewing process combines the local geographical environment and the characteristics of its crops, fully displaying the local people's collective wisdom and creativity in adapting measures to local conditions, transforming nature, and making use of it.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Qingxulaochencuniangzhijiyi · Laochencuniangzhijiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
In 1954 the Baoning Vinegar Factory was established, adopting master-apprentice and communal transmission and continuously expanding its succession teams through enterprise production practice. As of now, the project has nearly one hundred inheritors and nearly one thousand related practitioners.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Guo Junlu 03-1328
- Wu Runwei 04-1853
- Wang Decai 05-2760
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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