Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor

Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor

Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor is a specialty of Chancheng District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province.

　　The brewing technique of Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor was first created in 1895 by Chen Ruyue, the third-generation inheritor of the Chen Taiji Winery established in 1830 in Shiwan Town, Chancheng District, Foshan, Guangdong. Chen Ruyue, a Hanlin scholar from the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty, developed this technique after resigning from his official position. The method has been continuously transmitted orally and manually without interruption. In 2009, it was included in the list of Guangdong Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage. The resulting Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor is the sole representative product of the sixth major aroma type of Chinese liquor—“soy-sauce aroma”—as well as a national premium liquor and a renowned historical Chinese liquor.

　　The brewing technique of Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor builds upon the traditional rice wine fermentation process by adding the steps of “aging in earthen jars and soaking in fatty pork.” Figure 2: Brewing Technique of Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor: Boiling beans to make wine lees. Figure 2: Brewing Technique of Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor: Boiling beans to make wine lees. The benefits are twofold: first, it creates an exceptionally rich soy-sauce aroma, makes the taste sweet and mellow, and gives the body a full and smooth mouthfeel; second, it results in a clear liquor, eliminating cloudiness. Modern instrumental analysis and experiments have confirmed that the addition of “fatty pork” during aging helps adsorb impurities and integrate with the liquor to form a unique soy-sauce aroma while refining the body of the liquor. This solves the issues of cloudiness, harsh spiciness, and throat irritation common in traditional rice wines at the time, significantly enhancing aroma, taste, and clarity, and playing a key role in elevating the quality of rice wine. Starting in 1982, Taiji Distillery, in collaboration with several research institutions, successfully identified 152 aromatic compounds in Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor and established its complete brewing standard. In 1996, based on the brewing standards of Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor, the GB/T 16289—1996 National Standard for “Soy-Sauce Aroma Liquor” was officially promulgated and implemented under the leadership of Taiji Distillery. Since then, soy-sauce aroma liquor, represented by Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor, has become the sixth major aroma type of Chinese liquor, following sauce, strong, light, phoenix, and rice aromas, making a new contribution to China’s brewing industry.

　　3 Related Legends Editor The third-generation inheritor of the “Chen Taiji Winery,” established in 1830 (the 10th year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty), Chen Ruyue, ranked second in the imperial examinations and was appointed a Hanlin scholar by Emperor Guangxu, earning a jinshi degree and eventually serving as the chief examiner of Guizhou Province. In 1889, discontented with the Qing bureaucracy and wishing to care for his aging mother, Chen Ruyue resigned from office and returned to his hometown. His family primarily ran the winery, which was then managed by his elderly father. Upon his return, his father handed over the winery to Chen Ruyue, who, having grown up immersed in the world of brewing, was happy to take over the family business. To help the winery stand out among competitors, Chen Ruyue leveraged his extensive knowledge and, while inheriting the family’s rice wine brewing techniques, continuously researched new methods. In 1895, inspired by the local practice of soaking rice wine with medicinal herbs and snakes, as well as using distiller’s grains to feed pigs, Chen Ruyue experimented with adding “fatty pork” to the aging process. He discovered that pork-infused and jar-aged rice wine had unique qualities: a sweet and mellow taste, a strong soy-sauce aroma, and a rich body; and a clear, no longer cloudy liquor (at the time, rice wine was sold after simple blending post-distillation, resulting in a cloudy, milky appearance). After repeated testing, Chen Ruyue confirmed that adding fatty pork significantly enhanced the wine’s aroma, flavor, and clarity, leading him to create a unique brewing technique for the Chen Taiji Winery. The pork-infused rice wine resembled a crystal-clear “ice cube” floating in the liquor, and since distilled rice wine is commonly called “burned wine” (烧酒), Chen Ruyue creatively named this product “meat ice burn.” However, because the character for “meat” (肉) was considered inelegant and homophonous with “jade” (玉) in Cantonese—and the pork used was white and jade-like—he replaced “meat” with “jade.” Additionally, the pork-infused liquor appeared clearer and more pristine than its non-infused counterpart, hence the name “Yu Bing Shao” (“Jade Ice Burn”). The technique gained widespread popularity, making the Chen Taiji Winery’s rice wine highly favored by locals, and the winery became renowned for its Yu Bing Shao. The unique brewing method has been preserved through generations.

　　4 Heritage of the Technique Editor In 1830 (the 10th year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty), Chen Pingxian from Liantang Village, Nanhai, founded the “Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor Brewing Technique: Hanging Wine Lees Winery.” In 1895, the third-generation inheritor and Hanlin scholar Chen Ruyue, who had returned to his hometown after resigning from office, developed the “jar-aging with fatty pork infusion” rice wine brewing technique and launched Yu Bing Shao. In May 1974, they independently designed and partially manufactured parts for the first horizontal continuous rice-cooking, steaming, cooling, and lees-mixing machine in Central-South China, replacing the primitive method of cooking rice in large pots. This improved production efficiency and scale without altering the process or quality characteristics. In 1979, they independently designed the first large-tank fermentation equipment, reforming the traditional small-jar fermentation method. With automatic temperature control and three-dimensional fermentation, it achieved more scientific and stable operations without changing traditional fermentation traits, overcoming previous limitations in efficiency. Starting in 1982, Shiwan Distillery funded collaborative research with multiple institutions into the aroma of Yu Bing Shao, marking the first systematic and scientific study in China of the characteristics and formation reasons of a unique traditional product. Research revealed that Shiwan Yu Bing Shao contains 152 aromatic compounds and led to the establishment of a complete brewing standard. In 1984, Shiwan Yu Bing Shao was awarded the title of “National Premium Liquor,” the only rice-based liquor from Guangdong to receive this honor. In 1996, based on the Shiwan Yu Bing Shao brewing standards, the GB/T 16289—1996 National Standard for “Soy-Sauce Aroma Liquor” was officially promulgated and implemented under the leadership of Taiji Distillery. Since then, soy-sauce aroma liquor, represented by Shiwan Yu Bing Shao, has become the sixth major aroma type of Chinese liquor. In 2002, the first postdoctoral workstation and research center in the rice wine industry were established to enhance traditional techniques with modern science. In 2006, recognized by the Ministry of Commerce’s Liquor Circulation Management Office and the China Alcoholic Drinks Association, Shiwan Yu Bing Shao was named the sole national representative product of the rice wine aroma type (soy-sauce aroma), becoming the only Guangdong-produced representative among China’s 11 national liquor aroma types, standing alongside Maotai and Wuliangye as a national famous liquor. In 2007, Shiwan Yu Bing Shao was awarded the title of “Chinese Historical and Cultural Famous Liquor,” and “Shiwan” was recognized as a “China Well-Known Trademark.” In the same year, premium-grade rice wine—Guangdong Shiwan Liquor—was launched, changing the perception that Guangdong lacked quality liquor. In 2008, Taiji Distillery was commissioned by the China Standards Committee to serve as the secretariat for the soy-sauce aroma liquor sub-technical committee, tasked with revising national standards and conducting industry research. It led efforts to deepen research on mid-to-high-end soy-sauce aroma products, improve industry profitability, and drive transformation. In March 2009, the brewing technique of Shiwan Yu Bing Shao was included in the second batch of Foshan Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage protection lists, and in October, it was added to the provincial “intangible cultural heritage” list.

　　Production Situation

　　Shiwan rice wine boasts a history of over 170 years, with Yu Bing Shao being one of the most renowned historical liquors in Guangdong. It was once a designated export variety and has long been considered the best locally produced rice wine in Guangdong, beloved by many consumers. After 170 years of development, Shiwan Yu Bing Shao rightly stands as a national representative of soy-sauce aroma rice wine. It is the only rice wine in Guangdong to have received the title of “National Premium Liquor” and is also a Guangdong famous-brand product. However, the Guangdong rice wine industry, represented by Shiwan rice wine, faces a challenging market. Out-of-province famous liquors have entered Guangdong, and although local brands have expanded overseas, they struggle to gain traction nationwide. Starting in 1997, out-of-province distilled liquors targeted Guangdong, where living standards were rapidly rising, adjusting their flavors to suit the region’s preference for lower-alcohol beverages and leveraging technological advantages to capture the local market. These famous liquors used aggressive advertising and innovative marketing strategies to attract younger consumers and erode the market share of traditional rice wines. Coupled with the rise of wine, beer, health wines, and fruit wines, Guangdong’s drinking culture underwent profound changes. Rice wine, once a staple at every meal for older generations, was no longer the only—or even the best—choice, leading to a steady decline in its consumer base. Faced with fierce competition and rapid market shifts, Guangdong rice wine remained conservative and failed to respond effectively, leaving it vulnerable on all fronts.

　　In 2003, Shiwan Yu Bing Shao rice wine was launched and became the only successful product in the Guangdong rice wine market. Its market share grew rapidly, changing the habit of younger generations who previously avoided rice wine. Drinking “chilled Yu Bing Shao” even became a trend among some young people.

　　Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor

　　 Part of the area along the Dongjiang River’s Dongping section in Shiwan Town, Chancheng District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, between 22°58′47.652″N to 23°0′52.212″N and 113°4′10.092″E to 113°6′6.8″E

　　 “Foshan Chancheng District People’s Government Request for Delimitation of the Production Area of Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor,” Fochan Government [2014] No. 107

　　 Guangdong Provincial Local Standard: “Shiwan Yu Bing Shao Liquor” (Draft)