Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship

Ⅷ-144Traditional CraftsmanshipYibin, SichuanBatch 2 (2008)Newly Added Item

01 · Historical Records

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. Yibin City lies in southern Sichuan Province, and local liquor-making has a long history, beginning roughly in the Song dynasty. Wuliangye ("five-grain liquor"), which is characterized by brewing from assorted grains, can be traced back to the Song-dynasty "Yaozi Xuequ". Around the Ming dynasty the Chen family opened the Wende Feng distillery in Yibin and personally served as the brewing master; after much experimentation they created the "Chen family secret formula". In the early years of the Republic of China, after Deng Zijun inherited the "Chen family secret formula" he adjusted the recipe several times, making its proportions more scientific and reasonable. In 1915 Wuliangye won a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in the United States and from then on was renowned throughout the world. In 2006 Wuliangye received the title of "China Time-honored Brand" in the first batch issued by the Ministry of Commerce.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

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. The Wuliangye brewing process originated in Yibin and has been developed and transmitted there ever since. The traditional Wuliangye brewing technique centers on the "Chen family secret formula", a rational blending of five grains — sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and maize; the whole production process consists of more than one hundred process steps within three major technical flows: qu-making, base-liquor brewing and blending. The special and complex traditional Wuliangye brewing technique concentrates the essence of many folk brewing crafts; even today this traditional craft still has its irreplaceable value and is an important part of China's liquor culture.

Archival record of the process steps

The traditional Wuliangye brewing technique centers on the "Chen family secret formula", a rational blending of five grains — sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and maize; the whole production process consists of more than one hundred process steps within three major technical flows: qu-making, base-liquor brewing and blending.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

By aroma type, distilled liquor can further be divided into sauce-aroma, light-aroma, strong-aroma, rice-aroma, composite-aroma and other types.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

The value of Wuliangye lies both in a recipe and in a sequence of steps. As a recipe, the traditional Wuliangye brewing technique centers on the Chen family secret formula, a rational blending of five grains: sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and maize. This proportion was fixed through experimentation at the Wende Feng distillery in Yibin during the Ming dynasty, and after Deng Zijun inherited it in the early years of the Republic of China he adjusted it several times, bringing the ratios closer to reason and beyond mere experience. The Wuliangye brewing process originated in Yibin and has been developed and transmitted there ever since, and the water quality, temperature and glutinous-rice produce of Yibin provided the conditions for this recipe to take root. The weight of the sequence of steps is greater still: the whole production process consists of more than one hundred process steps within three major technical flows — qu-making, base-liquor brewing and blending — and the special and complex traditional Wuliangye brewing technique concentrates the essence of many folk brewing crafts; even today this traditional craft still has its irreplaceable value and is an important part of China's liquor culture. Precisely for this reason, protecting this technique means preserving not merely a few place names and a few flavors, but a sequence of operations that can be mastered only through long training. Its historical standing was established long ago: in 1915 Wuliangye won a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in the United States and from then on was renowned throughout the world; in 2006 Wuliangye received the title of China Time-honored Brand in the first batch issued by the Ministry of Commerce.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Traditional Distilling Craftsmanship (Yibin, Sichuan) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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