How Much Alcohol Can This Chinese "Liquor City" Really Handle?
In China, there are many cities famous for liquor, but there is only one "Liquor City"—
When it comes to the city, liquor is always an unavoidable topic. This "annoyance" is likely unique to Luzhou in the whole country. Antique wine cup designs can be seen everywhere, and the aroma of liquor fills the air. Nestled between the Bashan Mountains and Shu rivers, this city seems naturally born for brewing.
The convergence of the Yangtze River and the Tuojiang River meanders into the "Chinese Liquor Dragon Vein."
It is an important birthplace of strong-aroma baijiu in China. Today, it is the only city in the country with two nationally renowned liquors. Among them, Luzhou Laojiao was selected as one of China's Four Great Famous Liquors 70 years ago. Luzhou's baijiu production leads the nation: one out of every four bottles of baijiu in China is produced in Luzhou!
Luzhou is a natural treasure land for brewing.
"The wind passing through Luzhou carries the scent of liquor." The genetic code of this intoxicating aroma lies in its uniquely endowed mountains, waters, and air.
Luzhou: A Key Southern Sichuan City Shaped by Water
Opening Sichuan's "southeastern gate," the sound of rivers can be heard throughout Luzhou—a city shaped by water.
The confluence of two rivers has created this ancient landscape city.
The Yangtze River embraces the city from the south, leaving behind the old name "Jiangyang," and after receiving the north-flowing Tuojiang River, it turns eastward. Controlling the confluence of rivers, Luzhou's appearance is very similar to Yibin to the west and Chongqing to the east.
Besides the two "main arteries," the Yangtze and Tuojiang Rivers, over 70 tributaries such as the Yongning River and Chishui River form a crisscrossing water network, separating the mountain peaks. Lakes like Yulong Lake and Xiancao Lake resemble wandering dragons, occupying both sides of the Yangtze River. Above ground, the landscape is magnificent; below ground, gushing spring water flows year after year, collectively shaping a three-dimensional "Water Luzhou."
Xiancao Lake, a summer retreat and cool paradise.
Benefiting from its rivers, Luzhou has been Sichuan's largest port since the Song Dynasty.
The banks of the Yangtze and Tuojiang Rivers are lined with docks, with merchant ships coming and going incessantly. "Luzhou can never be filled, Chongqing can never be satisfied." Goods from Southwest China, such as Sichuan's salt, Yunnan's copper, and Guizhou's lead, departed from Luzhou's ports, traveling along the Yangtze River and canals through Chongqing to Nanjing and Beijing.
Luzhou is located at the intersection of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Chongqing, serving as Sichuan's southeastern gateway.
Luzhou thrived due to river transport. Records show that during the Northern Song Dynasty, there were only 26 major cities with an annual tax revenue exceeding 100,000 guan, and Luzhou was one of them. By the Ming Dynasty, Luzhou was one of the 33 major commercial hubs in the country, standing toe-to-toe with Chengdu and Chongqing in Southwest China.
Today, Luzhou Port remains one of China's 28 major inland river ports. The rivers have shaped Luzhou and continue to influence its culture and scenery.
The ancient ferry of Shenbi City on the banks of the Yangtze River.
In the past, the river echoed with the deep, resonant chants of Sichuan boat trackers; now, the sound of bridge construction is heard year-round along the banks. Formerly, Luzhou residents drank tea and played mahjong by the river; now, they watch red-billed gulls that have traveled from afar.
Here, one can witness China's northernmost "southern scenery line," where a host of lush "southern fruits" unexpectedly greet visitors. At the confluence of the Tuojiang and Yangtze Rivers lies Zhangba Longan Forest, the largest longan forest in the country. Here, not only can one enjoy longans, but Luzhou locals also savor the year's last fresh lychee.
Zhangba Longan Forest grows not only longans but also lychees.
The tender-fleshed crucian carp, whether grilled or made into jerky, is a snack that accompanies Luzhou locals during their chats. Delicacies like spicy yellow catfish stew, claypot fish, and semi-soup fish pair perfectly with hotpot. The glutinous and fragrant yellow rice cake is a must-have for Luzhou people during the New Year. On the streets of Gulin County, stalls selling spicy chicken are everywhere. Meanwhile, Hejiang's plain and meat-topped tofu pudding are iconic hometown flavors for many.
Good food deserves good liquor, and baijiu is the most important local product of "Water Luzhou."
Why is Luzhou China's only "City of Liquor"?
In Luzhou, whether strolling around Datibu Square or walking along the Binjiang Road or the Guojiao Bridge, one can always catch the rich aroma of liquor. Those with a keen sense of smell might even detect it as soon as they enter the Longmatan District.
The aroma of fine liquor lingers on both sides of the Guojiao Bridge.
It seems destined by nature for Luzhou to become China's City of Liquor.
The mild and humid Sichuan Basin serves as a natural fermentation cellar for liquor production, making the province home to numerous renowned liquors that dominate China's baijiu industry. Located at the core of the "Golden Triangle of Chinese Baijiu" at 28°N latitude, Luzhou epitomizes Sichuan's advantages in liquor-making, with an ideal combination of climate, soil, water sources, raw materials, and microorganisms.
Besides brewing liquor, Luzhou's mild climate is also suitable for making soy sauce.
"Water is the lifeblood of liquor." Shaped by water, Luzhou has never lacked high-quality water for brewing. Its rivers are pure and of suitable hardness, with the Chishui River known as the "River of Fine Liquor" and lined with distilleries on both banks. Underground spring water is particularly treasured by Luzhou people for brewing. At the foot of Fenghuang Mountain, the Longquan Well, guarded by mythical beasts, has been flowing with clear, slightly sweet water for thousands of years, never running dry.
"Grain is the flesh of liquor." The birth of baijiu is a romantic encounter between water and grain. Thanks to its humid climate, abundant water sources, and fertile soil, Luzhou is a natural granary. The glutinous red sorghum native to southern Sichuan, affectionately called "hongliang" by locals, is the best raw material for brewing and a key source of baijiu's aromatic scent.
"Three pounds of sorghum yield one pound of liquor." Luzhou is a paradise for growing southern Sichuan's glutinous red sorghum.
The high-quality raw materials provided by its mountains and rivers have made Luzhou a treasure land for liquor production. Since its founding, the city has been intertwined with liquor.
A "Shamanic Prayer Diagram" on a Han Dynasty stone coffin proves that Luzhou already practiced "rituals with liquor" at that time. During the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era, General Cheng Yaojin governed Luzhou, marking the first peak of its liquor industry. In the Northern Song Dynasty, liquor taxes accounted for one-third of Luzhou's commercial taxes. The poet Huang Tingjian once wrote, "Jiang'an lacks food, but Jiangyang has surplus liquor." By 1324 during the Yuan Dynasty, master brewer Guo Huaiyu pioneered the history of strong-aroma baijiu, and since then, Luzhou's rich and mellow liquor has captivated countless people.
The water from the Longquan Well holds the brewing genes of Luzhou's fine liquor.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Luzhou thrived thanks to river transport, and private liquor brewing became widespread. By the late Qing Dynasty, fermentation pits and breweries were found all over Luzhou, with 36 still operating in the early Republic of China era. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Luzhou Daqu liquor reached an annual output of 1,800 tons, the highest in the country.
So why is Luzhou called the "City of Liquor"? It is not a self-proclaimed title but one with a historical origin.
The South Gate of Luzhou has witnessed the city's past and present.
Photo/Zero Below, Image/©Tuchong Creativity
During the National Protection War, Zhu De was stationed in Luzhou while leading troops from Yunnan to fight against Yuan Shikai. On New Year's Eve in 1916, he wrote a poem: "The National Protection War brought changes, with alerts and battles raging; fortunate to remain safe in the City of Liquor, I review my strategies as another year passes." From then on, "City of Liquor" gradually became an endearing nickname for Luzhou among liquor enthusiasts.
Today, Luzhou has built the largest baijiu production park in China with the most complete industrial chain and functional support. It produces both strong-aroma and sauce-aroma baijiu. According to data from China Baijiu Network, Luzhou's baijiu output in 2021 was 2.049 million kiloliters, accounting for over a quarter of the national total.
In natural liquor storage caves,
the liquor becomes more mellow and aromatic after prolonged storage and aging.
Baijiu is Luzhou's unique cultural gene and regional symbol, and the spirit and character of Luzhou people are also infused in the liquor.
When hosting banquets, Luzhou people hardly have time to eat—"drinking danwan'er" (local term for drinking baijiu) is the real business. The main dish served is a bowl of "clear water" floating with foam, sometimes served with a spoon instead of a liquor divider. They raise their bowls and drink up. When drinking with Luzhou people, you won't encounter fake or poor-quality liquor, as they are innate connoisseurs who can instantly identify the variety, aroma type, alcohol content, and vintage upon tasting.
Drinking baijiu and tasting tea embellish the leisurely life of Luzhou people.
Although they drink liquor like soup and are never far from a drink, Luzhou people are never sloppy or indecisive. They admire liquor immortals and deities, such as Li Bai, the renowned drinker who grew up in Sichuan, and oppose rowdy drunkards. Luzhou people are also open and inclusive when it comes to drinking—a single meal can involve baijiu, beer, wine, and other famous liquors from古今中外 (ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign).
However, on important banquet occasions, Luzhou Laojiao is never absent.
Why is Luzhou's baijiu said to be "good entirely due to the age of the cellar"?
Luzhou people take great pride in Luzhou Laojiao. In their dialect, the term "laojiao" is extended to mean "privately stored valuable treasures," and can even refer to the私房钱 (private savings) of a "henpecked husband."
The 1573 National Treasure Cellar Group has been continuously used for brewing for over 440 years.
The predecessor of Luzhou Laojiao was 36 Luzhou distilleries from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Going further back, the cellar group of Luzhou Laojiao was first built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. In 1573, Shu Chengzong of Luzhou, building upon Yuan Dynasty brewing methods, used water from Longquan Well and yellow mud from Wuduxi to construct the cellars, innovating the Daqu brewing method and ushering in a new era for strong-aroma baijiu in China.
Shu Chengzong probably never imagined that his brewing cellars would still be in use 449 years later. The 1573 National Treasure Cellar Group is the earliest-built, longest-continuously-used, and best-preserved primitive ancient cellar complex in China, a "living relic" that coexists with the Dujiangyan Irrigation System.
A complete set of brewing techniques for strong-aroma baijiu, such as "fragrance generated from mud cellars" and "continuous fermentation with mixed grains,"
has been passed down through generations of masters and apprentices orally for centuries.
"A千年老窖 (thousand-year-old cellar) and万年糟 (ten-thousand-year-old fermented grains), the quality of liquor entirely depends on the age of the cellar" is the supreme rule of strong-aroma baijiu. The cellar mud is the living environment for microorganisms—the longer the cellar is continuously used, the more diverse the microorganisms become, resulting in more mellow and better-quality liquor.
The complete set of brewing techniques for strong-aroma baijiu, including "mixing with chaff, steaming liquor and grains on a甑 (zeng), extracting liquor, and spreading and cooling after steaming," has been延续近七百年 (continued for nearly 700 years) and is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. It is known as one of Luzhou Laojiao's "Twin National Treasures" alongside the "1573 National Treasure Cellar Group."
"Qu is the skeleton of liquor."
"Ganchun Qu" (sweet and mellow Qu) gives Luzhou Laojiao its unique aroma.
Luzhou Laojiao has always adhered to the seven core resources for brewing—"land, cellar, technique, Qu, water, grain, and cave"—complementing Luzhou's local geography and products to ultimately produce fine liquor.
In 1952, at the First National Wine Appraisal Conference, Luzhou Laojiao was honored as one of China's "Four Famous Wines," which brought great fame to "Luzhou Daqu" at that time. It continued to win honors at subsequent conferences in 1963, 1979, 1984, and 1989. In fact, as the only strong-aroma baijiu to have won the title of "China Famous Wine" for five consecutive sessions, Luzhou Laojiao has witnessed the glorious journey of Chinese famous wines.
Digging out fermentation pits, mixing ingredients, distilling...
The brewing technique of Luzhou Laojiao is also a "national treasure."
This year marks the 70th anniversary of Luzhou Laojiao being awarded the title of "China Famous Wine." From the first selection of China Famous Wines to winning five times in a row, from "Luzhou aroma type" to "strong aroma type" and then to "the originator of strong aroma and the master among wines," from the Luzhou Laojiao pilot to the dominance of strong aroma baijiu, from Guo Huaiyu's invention of "Gan Chun" Daqu in 1324 to the "world's first qu," from Shu Chengzong's pioneering "mud pit aroma generation" to the wisdom accumulated by generations of Luzhou Laojiao inheritors, the completion of the Huangyi Brewing Ecological Park stands as a milestone achievement in the history of Chinese baijiu brewing.
Over seven centuries, generations of Luzhou Laojiao masters have never ceased their exploration of techniques and pursuit of quality.
The wine is named after the city, and the city thrives because of the wine.
This land was born for brewing.
Some say that Luzhou people have Laojiao's raw liquor flowing in their veins. The form of water and the character of fire blend into the essence of "wine," merging into the blood of Luzhou people. The lingering aroma of Laojiao is the most unique and unforgettable flavor of Luzhou.
Unsigned images are from Luzhou Laojiao.