Sichuan liquor

General Information

In China a host serves three or four different types of beverages during a formal meal. A large glass holds the orange soda pop or beer, or a pleasant mixture of the two affectionately sodas; the tiny glasses are for wine. In the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Jiansu, the local rice wines, vaguely resembling nutty sherry, are frequently served. Like Japanese nutty sake, they are often drunk warm.

If tea is the most popular drink in China, then beer must be number two. Beer is not a native product. But has been brewed in China since the 19^th century, initially under German supervision. The best known is Tsingtao (Qingdao) Beer, made with a mineral water. At present China’s most famous brewery is at Qingdao, and the producer of Tsingtao Beer still uses the original copper stills, although massive expansion has taken place recently. Moreover, local brews are found in all the major cities of China such as Zhujiang in Guangzhou, and Yanjing in Beijing. Beer is popular in China, and in summer it is demanded greatly in many places.

Laoshan mineral water used to be available throughout China, and was only the cold water in restaurants. However, many business companies have sprung up in other areas of China to exploit mineral and pure water resources in order to meet the recent increasing demand of drinking more minerals or pure water among common Chinese people.

For centuries, China has been producing a wide range of strong clear spirits. the principal in gradient is kaoliang, a grain belonging to the sorghum family. The most famous spirits is Maotai, native to Guizhou, a southwestern province in China. As a favorite of the Chinese, it is used for toasting at banquets. drinkers are advised to take Maotai in small sips, and not to drink it on an empty stomach.

The Chinese are also keen on wines with different herbs and other materials soaked in them, which they drink for their health and for restorative qualities. For an example, Hejie Jiu(lizard wine) is produced in the southern province of Guangxi; each bottle contains one dead lizard suspended perpendicularly in the clear liquid. Wine with dead bees or pickled snakes is also desirable for its tonic properties.

It is not polite at a formal dinner to drink wine or liquor by oneself. If you want to drink, you may offer a toast to anyone at the table and then enjoy yourself, regardless of whether your invitee drinks or not . in the same way, if you happen to be the guests of honor at a meal, or the “object” of numerous toasts, it is perfectly acceptable to raise your glass to your lips and lick the wine lightly. “ Gone Bay” is a popular toast term in China, which means, “empty your glass” or “bottoms up”. Usually Chinese women don’t drink(except beer) in public. As a rule, toasts are obligatory at banquets. of you really can’t drink, you can fill your wine glass with tea instead. In spite of toasting and beer drinking, public drunkenness is strongly frowned upon.

“ Yellow wine” is a popular local wine made in Shaoxing, south of Huangzhou in Zhejiang  Province. Like many other varieties of yellow wines, it is made of fermented glutinous rice, and it is intended mainly for cooking rather than drinking. If you do drink it, take it warm and it tastes sweet.

The word “ wine ”gets rather loosely translated. Many Chinese “wines” are in fact spirits. all alcoholic beverages are termed jiu in Chinese. The grape wine is described as a kind of jiu made from putao. Putao means grape. Beer, incidentally, is beer. Tibetans have an interesting brew called qingke, a beer or spirit made from barley. Mongolians serve sour-tasting koumiss, made of fermented mare’s milk with lots of salt added. Most Chinese grape wines are either too sweet or too fry for Westerners’ taste. Recently, a significant progress has been made in this field. Remy Martin and the Pioneer vineyards in Hebei Province near Tianjin now operate a joint venture producing Dynasty, a light white wine. Shandong Province produces a decent Reisling, which has benefited from the German presence in China. More joint-venture projects followed afterwards in the other parts of China around the turn of the century.

Drinks in Sichuan

Local people started to make and drink wine as early as in the Shang Dynasty(16^th —11^th BC) according to recent display of the ancient wine containers and utensils unearthed Sanxing Spot in Guanghan county, Sichuan province. Based on the written local history, the winemaking industry in Sichuan had being operating several thousand years ago. In the Western Han Dynasty(206AD—24BC), Sima Xiangru, a well-known scholar and Zhuo Wenjun, managed a wine public house as means of livelihood in Lin Qiong County at the present site of Qiong Lai, Sichuan. There Sima Xiangru sold wine while Zhuo Wenjun cleaned utensils and cups. In 1977 and 1978, a large amount of ancient bricks and stones dated back to the Eastern Han Dynasty(25—220) were unearthed in the suburbs of Chengdu. On the surface of each stone or brick have projected figures, animals or houses in sculpture, which show the ancient local people’s daily life. Some relief stones display how the people brewed wine, managed public houses or drank wine. According to the local historical records, the ancient local people enjoyed drinking, thus promoting the development of the winemaking industry. Most of the present renowned liquors gradually came into being as early as in the Tang or Song Dynasties, which were taken as gifts to the imperial court.

In ancient times some top scholars enjoyed composing poems associated with liquor drinking. Some of these poems have been considered superb and have become eternal through the ages.

For example: Liangzhou Lines

They are about to drink,

The finest wine from Evening Radiance cups,

When the sudden sounding of the loquat urges them forth.

Don’t scorn them,

They who drunken fall upon the battle field:

In ancient days or now, how many return who go to war?

Li Bai is one of the greatest names in Chinese literature. He moved with his family to Sichuan when he was five. He enjoyed drinking wine in Sichuan , and some of his poems described his happiness before or after his wine drinking. Here are some lines below:

For the Moment, Drinking Wine (将进酒)

Happiness is to be savored at the full

The golden chalice must not face the moon untouched

Heaven born, my talents will come back again

And fortune spent in gold will come back again

So roast the goats and kill the cattle

And down three hundred cupfuls in a single breath

For the moment’s pleasure

Inquiring of the Moon, Wine cup in hand

My only wish is that when wine and song are near

Moonlight will forever linger on this goblet fair

Through these above poems we can share their sentiments that may express the ancient poets’ particular experience relating to their wine-drinking and inner personal feelings in line with natural scenes.

There are also some legends, which display the power of wine in Sichuan

One story says that a kind of pestilence occurred a long time ago when Zhu Geliang’s troops stationed in Luzhou areas. Zhu Geliang, a famous military strategist of the Three Kingdoms Period(220—265), asked his soldiers to collect a hundred medicinal herbs. Then he made a drug with these herbs, and ordered his soldiers and local people to take the drug with a special liquor wine together. The drug and liquor had an effect on preventing the pestilence.

Another story says that Zhang Xianzhong, one of the top farmer’s rebellion leaders in the Ming Dynasty, occupied Luzhou city with his soldiers. One evening he patrolled the city when a liquor scent greeted him. He approached the spot where a big container full of liquor kept dripping. Zhang only drank a cup of the liquor from the container. Immediately he felt relaxed and happy with his tongue and teeth full of a sweet scent. Then he composed a poem as below:

The scent overwhelms the Luzhou city,

And continues flowing ten miles around

Xianzhong drank one cup only,

And his face radiates with smiles.

At the present time the wine production is the main part of the local food industry in Sichuan. Distilleries in Sichuan produce varieties of liquors, which sell everywhere in China. In China certain concerned government department often hold commodity fairs at a national level. During the fair top famous liquors are chosen through judges and experts’ appraisal. Traditionally there are ten top famous liquors, which always come out first among thousands of liquor candidates across China. Of the ten top ones, five liquors come from Sichuan. They are WuLiangye, Luzhou Laojiao Tequ, Jian Nanchun, Quanxing Dachu and Gulin Langjiu below:

Wu Liangye liquor is produced in Yibin areas, Sichuan Province. Wu Liang means five different food grains. Its original name was the Food Grains Liquor. Based on the secrete recipe preserved by a well-known distillery by the name of Wen Defeng, the liquor is made from good-quality rice, glutinous rice, sorghum, wheat and corn.

As early as in the Ming Dynasty, the Food Grains Liquor became famous in Sichuan. In 1915, the Food Grains Liquor won a golden medal when the Zhang Wanhe Distillery exhibited the liquor at the Panama International Exposition. In 1929 Wu Liangye replaced the name of the Food Grains Liquor. Since then, the liquor has won dozens of the prizes both at home and abroad, including a top medal: the Golden Dragon Reward in the Sixth International Food Exposition in 1988. Also in 1989 and 1990 another two golden medals went separately to the liquor during the International Food Expositions held in Japan and Thailand.

Wu Liangye is a kind of translucent liquor, which has heavy fragrance. It tastes mellow, sweet and refreshing. In 1952 the local government established a state-owned Wu Liangye Distillery with better facilities. The annual output of the liquor grows each year to cater to the demand of Chinese and foreign customers.

Luzhou Liaojiao Tequ is produced in Luzhou area in Sichuan Province. The liquor distillery started as early as in the Ming Dynasty, and now it has lasted over 400 years. Traditionally distillers use solid-state yeast fermentation and the special Longquan water. The water tastes slightly sweet and is a bit acidic, the liquor from each distillery is usually stored in cellars for many years before being blended into Luzhou Liaojiao.

Luzhou Laojiao has a heavy fragrance. It tastes mellow and a bit sweet. After drinking, you soon refreshed and enjoy a long better aftertaste. In 1915 the liquor amazed the world with a golden medal it won at the Panama International Exposition. Since then the liquor has won dozens of other prizes at home and abroad whenever it is on show at expositions or fairs. At present Luzhou Liaojiao stands as the top famous Chinese liquor side by side with Maotai liquor made in the town of Maotai in the north-western part of Renhuai County, Guizhou Province.

Jiannanchun liquor is produced in Mianzhu County, Sichuan Procince. The liquor became famous in the Song Dynasty with the names of Mijiu and Edan. During the Qing Dynasty it was called Mianzhu Daqu in 1958 it was formally named as Jiannanchun. In 1979 it joined the list of China’s Ten Top Famous Liquors.

The liquor is made from grains and the water from the Wangji Spring the grains include sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat and corn. The ready-made liquor looks trandlucent,has fragrance and tastes mellow, and offers a lasting and agreeable aftertaste.

Quanxing Daqu Liquor literally means prosperity in an all-round way. It is produced in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, the Fushengquan Distillery produced the liquor with the water from the Xuetao well. In 1951 the Chengdu Distillery was set up on the same spot of the ancient Quanxing Distillery. In 1963 the liquor was put on the list of the top ten famous liquors in China. In 1984, the liquor won a golden medal again conferred by the Chinese authoritative department concerned. Since then, the liquor has won a numbers of prizes at the international food expositions or national wine appraisal meetings.

Made from sorghum and wheat, the liquor has a heavy fragrance with mellow and sweet tastes. It makes drinkers feel utterly refreshed soon after tastes. No wonder that Guo Moruo, one of the contemporary top scholars praised the liquor as a longevity wine.

In 1989 the Quanxing Distillery displayed a series of the liquor at the Fifth National Wine Appraisal Meeting. Its alcoholic contents respectively include 38, 52 and 60 proofs. All of its series of the liquor expectedly won golden medals. At present the liquor sells not only in China, but also in other countries and regions.

Guilin Langjiu Liquor is produced in Guilin County, Sichuan Province. Guilin Langjiu is a unique liquor in Sichuan, which enjoys the similar heavy fragrance and tastes with the Maotai Liquor. By the end of the Qing Dynasty a local distillery in the Erlang Town, Gulin County produced a liquor named the Huisha Langjiu Liquor, which gained considerable name bot in Sichuan and Guizhou at that time. The Erlang Town is 70 km away froma village, the birthplace of the Maotai Liquor, and a river called Chishui flows between the two places. Due to the location nnear the Maotai Liquor Distillery, the Gulin Langjiu Liquor has the similar brew techniques of Maotai with top quality raw materials like sorghum and wheat. Accordingly all the technical requirements must be strictly carried out in terms of solid-state open-air fermentation, specific proportion of sorghum and wheat, and the duration of formation.

In 1984 the liquor obtained a golden medal and was put on the list of the top Chinese famous awards during the annual National Wine Appraisal Meeting.