Niangcujiyi
01 · Historical Records
Chishui sun-dried vinegar relies on solid-state fermentation to cultivate natural acetic-acid bacteria; both the vinegar mash and the semi-finished vinegar are sun-exposed for more than three years in a hot, humid natural environment, which is why it is called "sun-dried vinegar" (shai cu).
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The craft of making Chishui sun-dried vinegar is a traditional manual technique for producing edible vinegar through solid-state fermentation and more than three years of sun exposure. It is mainly practised in the river-valley belt along both banks of the middle and lower reaches of the Chishui River—an area of about 100 square kilometres—in Chishui City, Guizhou Province. The production process runs as follows. First, the starter (qu) is made: around the Dragon Boat Festival, the "vat-master" (cheng gang shi) blends more than twenty kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs—such as ephedra (ma huang), cassia twig (gui zhi) and Crotalaria (xiang ling cao)—into a formula to prepare the vinegar starter. Next comes fermentation: premium rice and glutinous rice are selected and boiled into a rice porridge, into which the appropriate amount of starter is stirred to ferment. Then the mash is formed: wheat bran is added in proportion to the fermented rice porridge, stirred and placed into troughs; it is turned and mixed once in the morning and once in the evening to make the vinegar mash (cu pi). It is then sun-exposed: the mash is packed into large earthenware jars and left in the sun for at least three summers. Next the vinegar is drawn off: the mature, sun-cured mash is put into filtering jars, soaked with an appropriate amount of spring water, and the vinegar liquid is filtered out. Finally the finished product is made: the vinegar liquid is again packed into earthen jars and sun-exposed for half a year to become finished vinegar. Sun-dried vinegar is graded by the length of its exposure—the longer the exposure, the higher the quality. Chishui sun-dried vinegar is characterised by a soft colour, a pure and mellow sour aroma, a long aftertaste, and a rich yet clean fragrance. It is mainly sold to Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries and regions. The early inhabitants of Chishui developed a taste for sun-dried vinegar long ago; pottery vinegar jars have been excavated from the Han-dynasty tomb complex at Ma'anshan in Fuxing Town, Chishui City. The craft of making Chishui sun-dried vinegar provides abundant material for the study of the food culture of Chishui and northern Guizhou, and is an indispensable cultural phenomenon and a cultural calling-card of the cuisine of both Chishui and Guizhou.
Documented production process
The craft of making Chishui sun-dried vinegar is a traditional manual technique for producing edible vinegar through solid-state fermentation and more than three years of sun exposure, mainly practised in the river-valley belt along both banks of the middle and lower Chishui River—about 100 square kilometres—in Chishui City, Guizhou Province.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The area belongs to the mid-subtropical climate zone, with fertile purple soil and high-quality rice, wheat and other crops. The water quality in the middle and lower reaches of the Chishui River basin is good; the hot, humid climatic conditions of the low-altitude riverbanks form a distinctive micro-organism environment suited to the production of sun-dried vinegar. At present, the sun-dried-vinegar related industries of Chishui City have reached a considerable scale and play a positive role in promoting local employment and income growth and in advancing inclusive economic development.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Qingxulaochencuniangzhijiyi · Laochencuniangzhijiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The craft of making Chishui sun-dried vinegar is transmitted mainly through master–apprentice and family lines; at present more than twenty local inheritors have mastered the art of preparing the vinegar starter, along with over one thousand production workers.
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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