Tonghai Soy Sauce

Tonghai Soy Sauce

　　Tonghai Soy Sauce is a specialty of Tonghai County in Yuxi City, Yunnan Province. Made using traditional methods with a long history and unique recipe, it is highly popular among customers and serves as an excellent seasoning on dining tables.

　　The production of Tonghai Soy Sauce began in the late Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1820 AD) when Zhang Congzheng founded the Diaoding Xiangzhai Soy Sauce Workshop. It has been produced for over a hundred years since then. Later, Zhao Ziwan established Pinxiangzhai, Liu Yugong founded Dingxiangzhai, Tai Yi started Yongxiangzhai, Huang Xiyuan created Diaomeizhai, Zhao Yinanyi’s father set up Heměizhai, and Wang Boyuan opened Xingshun Store—these became the renowned seven major soy sauce workshops. By 1909, before the opening of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, the number had grown to twenty-three, marking the industry’s peak period. Among the seven workshops, Dingxiangzhai and Yongxiangzhai in Sijie were known province-wide for their premium ingredients, rigorous quality control, and emphasis on integrity. In the early years of the Republic of China, the saying “Tonghai Soy Sauce and Lufeng Vinegar” had become widely popular, making Tonghai Soy Sauce a highly sought-after brand. Later, Pinxiangzhai opened a branch in Kunming, prominently labeling its product as Tonghai Soy Sauce, which was met with great acclaim from consumers. The four brothers of Pinxiangzhai all became wealthy through their soy sauce shops. Zhang Rongsheng’s younger brother, Zhang Luzhai, amassed a fortune by opening Diaodingzhai in Dongchuan (now Huize). At that time, Dingxiangzhai sold 1,200 jin per day, while Yongxiangzhai sold 1,000 jin daily. Including products from other shops, the county shipped approximately a hundred loads of soy sauce daily—around ten thousand jin in total. The product was distributed as far as Kunming, Gejiu, Mengzi, Jianshui, and the Simao region.