Niangzaojiuchuantong Brewing Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The origins of Jintan Fenggang wine can only be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties, because after the Tang and Song periods the Jiangnan literature on yellow wine (huangjiu) largely centred on Shaoxing and Jinhua, and this southern-Jiangsu branch was absent for a long time. What the locals remember clearly, however, is the term "fenggang" (sealed jar): once the wine is made it is never decanted or transferred to another jar; the seal is kept to the end, and time alone brings out the flavour. This single act became the most distinctive mark of the craft.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Fermented grain wine is commonly called "yellow wine" (huangjiu). It takes rice, broomcorn millet, corn and similar grains as raw materials. After washing, steaming and rinsing, white qu and yeast are used as saccharifying and fermenting agents; river qu and high-quality water are added, and after fermentation the mash (cloudy wine) is produced, which is then finished through pressing, settling and filtering. The wine is yellow in colour, clear and transparent, rich in aroma, and mild and mellow on the palate. Fermented grain wine is a traditional Chinese liquor, rich in nutrients, with effects such as promoting blood circulation, warming the stomach and intestines, moistening the skin, dispelling dampness, and nourishing and strengthening the body; it is especially loved by the people of Jiangnan. China is the birthplace of fermented grain wine. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Shaoxing in Zhejiang could already brew yellow wine, a history of some 2,400 years to the present day. In the Jinhua region, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there also appeared the white lao wine brewed from glutinous rice and white smartweed qu. Fermented grain wine is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai, among which the cities of Shaoxing and Jinhua in Zhejiang and Jintan in Jiangsu are the most famous. Yellow wine is the oldest liquor in China. Both the Danyang Fenggang wine and the Jintan Fenggang wine of Jiangsu Province are high-grade varieties of yellow wine, whose history can be traced back to the Qin and Han eras some two thousand years ago. Jintan is a land of fish and rice. The glutinous rice grown here has large, uniform grains, a fragrant taste and glutinous quality, and is white as jade; through the ages it was a tribute offered to the imperial court, and the production of fine glutinous rice created unique conditions for brewing Fenggang wine. The brewing technique of Danyang Fenggang wine is complex and demanding; the process requires long sealed-jar ageing, from which it takes its name. Once brewed, the wine is reddish-brown with an amber lustre, fragrant in aroma and full-bodied in taste, fresh, sweet and smooth on the palate, earning the praise "lighter than dew on the flowers, coloured like spring in a cave." Fenggang wine is made from special local glutinous rice and the Maoshan spring water, a yellow wine of highly distinctive flavour. Through the continuous efforts of craftsmen across generations, the Fenggang brewing technique has matured, forming a unique Fenggang wine culture, and is praised as "a marvel in the forest of wines." But as modern people's eating habits change, the market for sweet yellow wine has gradually shrunk, which has had a certain impact on the production of Fenggang wine.
Archival process-step record
Fermented grain wine is commonly called "yellow wine" (huangjiu). It takes rice, broomcorn millet, corn and similar grains as raw materials. After washing, steaming and rinsing, white qu and yeast are used as saccharifying and fermenting agents; river qu and high-quality water are added, and after fermentation the mash (cloudy wine) is produced, which is then finished through pressing, settling and filtering.
Sealing the jar without ever moving the wine
After fermentation the wine stays in its original jar and is never transferred; the length of the seal is the length of the ageing.
Tribute glutinous rice and Maoshan spring water
Local glutinous rice, tribute grade for centuries, is combined with Maoshan spring water to give the wine its own style.
Pressing, settling and filtering
The matured mash is pressed, then the cloudy first run is settled and filtered until it is bright and clear.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Jintan area is a land of fish and rice in Jiangnan, and glutinous rice and water are the two vital elements of this branch of yellow wine: the rice comes from local fields, and the water is Maoshan spring water. The southern-Jiangsu sealed-jar style differs from the northern-Zhejiang style of yellow wine — the latter emphasises qu medication and long storage, while the southern-Jiangsu branch takes the "sealing" to its extreme: from the moment a jar is filled until the wine can be drunk, the only thing in between is waiting. Thus in the local craft jargon, craftsmen speak of the gang (vat) rather than the tan (crock).
Other submitting regions for the same item: Niangzaojiuchuantong Brewing Craftsmanship · Niangzaojiuchuantong Brewing Craftsmanship · Niangzaojiuchuantong Brewing Craftsmanship · Niangzaojiuchuantong Brewing Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Fenggang wine brewing technique is unique and of extremely high nutritional value; it is a famous local speciality of Jiangsu Province, enjoying a high reputation at home and abroad. The finished Fenggang wine (photo by Li Guoqiang) has extremely high nutritional and medicinal value, and has always been treasured by the world and favoured by consumers. Timely protection and transmission of the traditional Fenggang wine brewing technique has become an urgent task at present.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Xu Chaozhong 03-1416
- Wang Haoping 05-2839
- Lvminxiang 05-2840
- Chen Guanchang
- Li Zhongsheng
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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