Niangcujiyi
01 · Historical Records
During the late Qing and early Republican period, the people of Wuzhong already brewed vinegar by steaming and liquid-state fermentation; the saying "every household has a vinegar jar, and everyone is a vinegar maker" captures the heyday of the Wuzhong aged-vinegar craft at that time.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Wuzhong aged-vinegar craft is a traditional technique for brewing edible vinegar using premium grains from the Wuzhong area of Ningxia and sweet river water, through processes such as hanging-qu fermentation and sun exposure. Its core area of transmission is Yinchuan, Wuzhong and Qingtongxia in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, radiating to surrounding counties and cities. Wuzhong lies in the middle of the Ningxia Yellow-River irrigation region; it is at relatively high elevation, dry and cool, with abundant sunshine, fertile land and good irrigation and drainage, earning it the names "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall" and "Pearl beyond the Great Wall." This special natural environment nurtures a variety of high-quality coarse grains, and together with excellent water sources provides the best raw materials for brewing fine traditional aged vinegar. The Wuzhong craft uses a hanging-qu method to brew aged vinegar: a certain proportion of vinegar lees and wheat bran is mixed, bagged, compacted, hung up and naturally fermented for seven to eight months to make the hanging-qu. Then soybeans, corn, sorghum and other raw materials are mixed, cleaned of impurities, steamed and cooked, combined with the hanging-qu, and sealed in jars to ferment into fragrant mash (xiang zao). The key step in vinegar making follows: spreading the cooked grain and mixing the mash (tan fan ban pei), and acetic-acid fermentation, which determine the yield and quality of the fragrant vinegar. Yellow millet, rice and water are mixed and cooked into a spread (tan fan); fragrant mash and hanging-qu are added, stirred, layered into jars, compacted and sealed for a sun-exposed solid-state tri-sided mash fermentation. Over forty-nine days of transformation the sour flavour develops, while the mash is baked to generate aroma. It is then hand-pressed to draw the vinegar and stirred with red-willow switches, and finally cellar-aged for a hundred days to yield Wuzhong aged vinegar with full colour, aroma and taste, characterised by "sour but not astringent, fragrant with a hint of sweetness, deep in colour and fresh in flavour." The Wuzhong aged-vinegar craft has a history of more than a century. Over its hundred years of development, generation after generation of artisans have handed down the ancient vinegar-making craft by word of mouth and personal instruction, infused it with new vitality, and developed new varieties, extending its influence and sales across the whole country. Wuzhong aged vinegar is one of Wuzhong's important cultural symbols; it drives the development of related industries and plays a positive role in increasing people's incomes, spurring regional economic growth and promoting social harmony.
Documented production process
The Wuzhong aged-vinegar craft is a traditional technique for brewing edible vinegar using premium grains from the Wuzhong area of Ningxia and sweet river water, through processes such as hanging-qu fermentation and sun exposure, with Yinchuan, Wuzhong and Qingtongxia in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as its core transmission area, radiating to surrounding counties and cities.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Wuzhong aged-vinegar craft is a traditional technique for brewing edible vinegar using premium grains from the Wuzhong area of Ningxia and sweet river water, through processes such as hanging-qu fermentation and sun exposure, with Yinchuan, Wuzhong and Qingtongxia in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region as its core transmission area, radiating to surrounding counties and cities. Wuzhong lies in the middle of the Ningxia Yellow-River irrigation region; it is at relatively high elevation, dry and cool, with abundant sunshine, fertile land and good irrigation and drainage, and is known as "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall" and "Pearl beyond the Great Wall." The Wuzhong City Cultural Centre is the protecting unit of the item.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Qingxulaochencuniangzhijiyi · Laochencuniangzhijiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi · Niangcujiyi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The gradual refinement of the Wuzhong aged-vinegar craft, its spirit of artisanship pursuing excellence, and the special commercial reputation built up over the long term hold considerable historical and cultural value.
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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