Gulaodouchi (Fermented Black Bean Paste from Gulaoyang)

Gulaodouchi

　　　Gulaoyang Town is situated on the picturesque banks of the Xijiang River and has a history of over 600 years. It was established by ancestors surnamed Gu and Lao who migrated here from other regions to settle and build a market town, hence the name "Gulaoyang" (literally “Old Gu and Old Lao”). Since the Qing Dynasty, it has been a local custom in Gulaoyang to ferment douchi (fermented black bean paste). Gulaodouchi has become a local specialty, with large-scale production and sales beginning around the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, including those produced by the then-renowned Tiaozhen Sauce Garden.

　　　　In the 30th year of the Daoguang era during the Qing Dynasty (1850 AD), a businessman surnamed Yang from Zhaiwu, Heshan County, noticing the clarity of the Xijiang River water and the prevalence of homemade douchi among locals, founded Tiaozhen Sauce Garden on what is now Dongning Street in Gulaoyang Town. The business specialized in making douchi and soy sauce. For several decades leading up to the liberation, there were numerous workshops in Gulaoyang producing Gulaodouchi, but the version uniquely crafted by Yang Qipan, a descendant of the Yang family, stood out as the most renowned and widely known. Thanks to Yang Qipan’s special fermentation techniques and meticulous selection of ingredients and packaging, the Gulaodouchi he produced became wildly popular and gained fame far and wide. Some overseas Chinese even brought the douchi to America as a nostalgic hometown specialty. This success made him wealthy and famous, establishing him as the representative figure of this unique brand of Gulaodouchi, while Tiaozhen Sauce Garden continued as an important workshop that endured through time.

　　　　Over 100 years ago, it was a common sight along the rural roads of Heshan: elderly vendors carrying shoulder poles loaded with two large earthen jars full of Gulaodouchi paste, walking through streets and alleys calling out their wares. Anyone who has bought Gulaodouchi paste in the past knows that back then, the paste was simply wrapped in newspaper for take-away. But Gulaodouchi was dry, low in moisture, and rich in oil—so tightly wrapped in newspaper that no leakage occurred. Even when kept in the kitchen until the very last bit was used up, it wouldn’t go moldy.