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In 1996, in the old warehouse of Lingchuan Distillery in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, a group of workers accidentally dug up a treasure trove of history while digging the foundation for the relocation project of the distillery. This discovery not only shocked them, but also shocked the entire country. This old storehouse has carried the baptism of time, and now, let's explore this amazing history together.
Lingchuan Distillery, the historic brewery, has announced plans to relocate the old storehouse, which needs to be re-dug to make room for the construction of the new site. One summer day in 1996, workers began intensive excavation. In one corner of the site, a worker was digging hard in the direction of the western wall, but when he dug about 20 meters underground, his pickaxe encountered unusually hard resistance.
The worker felt unusual, but did not think much about it, and he continued to dig. At a depth of less than 1 meter, his pickaxe once again encountered something unbelievable. This time, the resistance was stronger, numbing his forearms. After carefully clearing the surrounding dirt, he revealed a solid plank. He couldn't help but wonder in his heart, could this be an ancient coffin?
As time passed, other workers came in, curious to find out what had been dug up. After several efforts, everyone worked together to push away the big wooden board, and a strong aroma of wine came to their faces, which was jaw-dropping. The wooden box was filled with liquid, which made everyone even more puzzled. Faced with this puzzling discovery, they decided to enlist the winery's leadership to decide what to do next.
Soon after, Zhang Guangxin, the director of the distillery, arrived at the scene. He circled the large gray wooden box several times and carefully touched the box. He said to himself: "Baby, baby, this is a big baby!" Zhang Guangxin is the director of the distillery and the heir to the intangible cultural heritage of the Manchu traditional winemaking skills. He knew the craft of wooden boxes well, explaining that this kind of box is called "wooden wine sea", which is a special utensil used by the ancients to store wine, and is most suitable for preserving the natural material of wine.
Zhang Guangxin explains: "The outer layer of this wooden box is made of red pine wood, which has a clear grain and is not easy to deform, because it is rich in pine oil, which is the best material for storing wine. The ancients usually chose this wood to store wine and bury it underground. His words intrigued everyone, who couldn't wait to open the lid of the wooden box, wanting to verify what Zhang Guangxin said.
As soon as the lid of the wooden box was opened, a strong aroma of wine came to his face, which made Zhang Guangxin intoxicated. He quickly arranged a series of tasks, including informing the antiquities department, using wooden sticks to detect the volume of wine, taking samples for taste testing, and bringing in photographers to document this important moment. Although Zhang Guangxin longed to taste this century-old wine immediately, he still rationally waited for the arrival of the experts, and at the same time pondered the history and owner of this batch of wine.
Soon after, antiquities experts arrived at the site, and they began to carefully explore this treasure trove of history. During the excavation, they were pleasantly surprised to find three wooden wine seas of the same size, as well as a piece of paper with the words "Daqing National Road Mitsuotomi" written on it. After research, experts confirmed that it was an official seal.
Through a long period of research and verification, experts determined that the area where the Lingchuan Distillery is located was once the site of the Tongsheng Gold Distillery in the Qing Dynasty, which was responsible for brewing royal sacrificial wine. At the same time, they also found records of Tongsheng Jinjiao, whose owner, Gao Lin, was a Manchu nobleman whose liquor had always been loved by the royal family. This allowed experts to determine that the owner of the wine was Gao Lin.
Using the inscription "Kiyodo Kō Otomi" on the seal, experts estimate that the wine is 151 years old, or 1845 AD. This batch of about 4 tons has been stored in snow for more than a century, but surprisingly, it still tastes surprisingly full-bodied.
Experts explain this
The reason why the wine can maintain such a beautiful taste and quality is due to the exquisite wooden wine sea-making technology. The production process of these wooden wine seas is extremely complicated, and each wooden wine sea takes a whole year to complete. The outer layer is made of pine wood, which is rich in pine oil and has excellent corrosion resistance. The inner layer is sealed layer by layer using 1,500 layers of high-quality rice paper, stacked up to 5 cm thick. The adhesive for the seal is carefully selected, using egg white, deer blood and beeswax, and applied multiple times to ensure a tight bond of rice paper, resulting in a complete seal.
The reason why this batch of wine is so well preserved is also related to the place of burial. Although the old warehouse is old, its existence provides natural protection for the Mujiu Sea and insulates it from rainwater erosion. Together with the dry environment and exquisite craftsmanship, these factors combine to contribute to the good preservation of the wine.
This batch of liquor was included in the Guinness Book of World Records by the Guinness headquarters in 1998, and the following year it was auctioned for 3.5 million yuan for 86 kilograms of original wine. Subsequently, in 2003, 93 kilograms of raw wine were sold again at a sky-high price of 5.58 million yuan. According to these auction prices, 4 tons of raw wine are worth at least 2 billion yuan.
On December 27, 1999, this precious liquor was approved by the State Council for inclusion in the China Museum of History. They will continue to be treasured and perhaps preserved for a century of surprises for future generations.
This astonishing discovery not only highlights the treasures of China's 5,000-year-old history and culture, but also showcases the mastery of ancient winemaking techniques. Baijiu is not only a mixture of alcohol and water, but also part of Chinese history and culture. Through the story of this batch of wine, we can not only understand the ancient winemaking process, but also feel the charm of history. The discovery of this treasure trove gives us a deeper understanding of China's history and provides us with precious opportunities to inherit our cultural heritage. Therefore, baijiu is not only a drink, but also a bridge connecting the past and the present, evoking our deep thinking about history.
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