Shangjiuwu Liquor Monopoly Site

Shangjiuwu Liquor Monopoly Site

The Shangjiuwu Liquor Monopoly Site is a protected cultural heritage site of Henan Province.

The Shangjiuwu Liquor Monopoly Site is located to the north of Shangjiuwu Village, Shangjiuwu Town, Baofeng County, Pingdingshan City. It is a liquor production site dating from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of approximately 30,000 square meters. During the Song Dynasty, Shangjiuwu was a key junction along the ancient Wanluo Road. As it was part of the northwest circuit of the capital region and close to the capital city of Kaifeng, it was a renowned hub for liquor production and distribution. At the site, relics such as distilling stoves, ancient well remains, and numerous coins, Ru ware, Jun ware, liquor jars, and fragments of Jiutui bottles (chicken-leg-shaped wine vessels) have been discovered. Most of the site is currently farmland.

According to *The Examination of Constellations and Fields*, “The land south of Ruhai and in the fields of Yingyi saw much liquor-making, where Yi Di produced liquor using the water from there.” The *Spring and Autumn Annals of Mr. Shiben* from the Spring and Autumn period records: “Yi Di was the first to make lees wine, altering the five flavors.” In the late Warring States period, *Lüshi Chunqiu* listed “Yi Di’s invention of liquor” among twenty pioneering inventions in ancient China in the chapter “Shen Fen Lan · Wu Gong” (Reviewing Division · Not Doing It Oneself). The historical text *Strategies of the Warring States · Wei Strategies* from the Han Dynasty states: “In the past, the Emperor’s daughter ordered Yi Di to make liquor, which turned out delicious. She presented it to Yu the Great, who found it sweet and delightful. He then distanced himself from Yi Di and banned refined liquors, declaring, ‘In the future, there will surely be those who ruin their states over liquor.’” During the Song Dynasty’s Yuanyou era (1078–1085), the Neo-Confucian scholar Cheng Hao oversaw liquor taxation at Shangjiuwu and left behind the celebrated tale of the “Spring Breeze of the Liquor Office.”

This site provides strong evidence for the study of the origin and development of Central Plains liquor culture, the establishment of the state liquor monopoly system, and ancient commercial activities. In 2016, it was designated as a seventh batch provincial-level cultural heritage site by the provincial government.

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Henan Province