Centuries-old distillery unearthed in winemaking village recorded in ancient poetry

Photo: China News Service

A distillery dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) has been unearthed in Shanxi's Xinghua village, a village recorded in poetry for its centuries-old tradition of winemaking and as the birthplace of fenjiu, a renowned Chinese liquor, the local archaeological institute has announced on Thursday.

The discovery provides tangible evidence of the long-standing winemaking heritage of the Xinghua village, offering valuable insight into the brewing techniques used to produce fenjiu, said Zhao Hui, the lead archaeologist on the project.

The excavation, conducted from June to November 2023, yielded three stills, seven wells, and two fermentation pits. The stills were arranged in a line, with each consisting of an operating pit, a fire chamber, and a grate. The wells were circular in shape with diameters ranging from 0.8 to 1.1 meters and depths of 4.8 to 7 meters. 

The fermentation pits, situated southeast of the stills, were nearly rectangular in shape, measuring approximately 3.1 meters in length, 1.8 to 2.5 meters in width, and 0.64 meters in depth.

Artifacts discovered at the bottom of the wells and still pits, including fragments of blue-and-white porcelain bowls and cups dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, provided crucial evidence for dating the site.

Analysis of soil samples collected from the bottom of the fermentation pits revealed high concentrations of yeast proteins and tartaric acid residues, confirming their association with the fermentation process.

The distillery's operations, as recorded in Ming-era literature, involved the use of stills for steaming and distilling raw materials, wells for providing water for various stages of the process, and fermentation pits for fermentation of the grains after spreading and drying them.

According to Zhao, the distillery site represents one of the earliest known examples of liquor distillation facilities in northern China and serves as an important intangible cultural heritage and industrial legacy in the region.

Global Times