Zhaiji Chen Vinegar

Zhaiji Village’s aged vinegar, also known as Mizhi Five-Spice Aged Vinegar, is a renowned local specialty of Baofeng, celebrated throughout the ages for its mellow quality, rich flavor, and remarkable longevity without spoilage.

Zhaiji is located in the eastern part of Baofeng County, bordered by the Ru River to the north and Longshan Mountain to the south, with convenient transportation. Zhaiji South —The ancient city located about a li away was “Chengfu Township” of the State of Chu during the Warring States period, a renowned frontier stronghold on the northern border of Chu at the time. As recorded in the “Chronicles of Chu: King Ping” section of the Records of the Grand Historian: “In the sixth year, the crown prince Jian was stationed at Chengfu to guard the frontier,” referring precisely to this place. Historically, Zhaiji was a densely populated, commercially thriving market town. Merchants from all over flocked here, establishing shops; among them, the vinegar‑making trade became particularly celebrated. According to tradition, in its early days Zhaiji boasted three vinegar‑brewing workshops, each with its own distinctive character and unique merits. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, Zhaiji’s aged Chen vinegar had remained prosperous and enduring.

Zhaiji Chen Vinegar has long enjoyed a renowned reputation and is widely praised, giving rise to numerous captivating myths and legends that have circulated throughout society. Though these tales are fanciful and unfounded, they have only served to enhance the vinegar’s prestige. According to tradition, during the Ming Dynasty, in Hongtong County of Shanxi Province… An elderly woman, dressed in tattered clothes, carried a bamboo basket on her back. Inside the basket sat a pair of twin siblings—boys and girls—with abnormally long big toes and little‑toe nails that were split into two halves. Disguised as a beggar, she made her way to the area around Zhaiji, just as the Baique Temple Fair fell on the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month. Following the crowd, she arrived beneath an unusual locust tree at Baique Temple, gazing upward. There, she saw a “white sparrow”—its beak holding a glittering pearl—call out three times before flying north. Hastily hoisting the twins onto her back, the old woman set off in pursuit. The sparrow flew, pausing now and then, until it finally alighted beside a well at the northwest corner of Zhaiji Village. As the old woman drew near, only a few zhang from the well’s mouth, she stumbled and fell. Startled, the sparrow took flight, and in its panic dropped the pearl it had been carrying into the well. Faintly, the old woman heard the sparrow shriek, “Rice vinegar—rice vinegar—” before shooting skyward like an arrow. Later, the old woman built a humble grass hut by the well and, with her twin children, began to live there, tending the spring. By the following year’s Guyu season, she noticed that the barren ground beside the well was suddenly covered with neat rows of young rice seedlings. In autumn, she reaped bountiful harvests, stacking up great piles of grain. One night, a violent wind swept through, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The next morning, the old woman discovered that the wind had blown all the harvested grain into the well. Rushing to the wellhead, she peered down and saw bubbles rising from the depths, mingling with a rich, sweet, mellow aroma of vinegar. She drew some water in an earthenware pot and examined it closely; within the reflection, she beheld a vivid, lifelike “white sparrow.” Cautiously tasting a sip, she felt the fragrant essence of vinegar fill her mouth, her eyes brighten, and her limbs grow strong. Soon after, her two children grew to adulthood and, carrying poles on their shoulders, went from village to village selling vinegar. Its extraordinary color and flavor proved irresistible, and the people clamored to buy it. The family prospered greatly, using the profits to aid the poor throughout the surrounding countryside. From then on, households across hundreds of miles experienced no disasters or hardships, ailments vanished, and all lived in peace and prosperity.

It is also said that during the reign of the Ming Emperor Chengzu, a secret agent and two eunuchs, disguised in plain clothes, entered Bianjing on a private visit. After days of relentless travel, they were utterly exhausted and had no appetite for food or drink. One day, at an inn… At the “Xu Ji” restaurant, diners found their appetites greatly stimulated by the accompanying vinegar, prompting them to inquire about its source. They promptly arranged for a shipment of Zhaiji Chen Vinegar to be brought back and presented to the emperor. Emperor Zhu Di, overjoyed, exclaimed, “A superb masterpiece, a rare brew,” and ordered it to be designated as “imperial‑grade.” During the Ming dynasty, a celebrated saying went: “The aroma of wine is in Baofeng; the aroma of vinegar is in Zhaiji.”

In the mid‑Qing dynasty, the Qianlong Emperor made six tours to the Jiangnan region. On one of these journeys, when he reached Kaifeng, he issued a special edict to the prefect of Kaifeng, ordering the expansion of vinegar production at Zhaiji. He also graciously bestowed upon the Zhaiji vinegar artisans a yellow jacket. ”, as a token of imperial favor. During the Republic of China era, Zhaiji Chen Vinegar was exported far and wide to Japan, Britain, Canada, the United States, and Southeast Asia. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the renowned Canadian physician Dr. Norman Bethune, who traveled thousands of miles to China to join the fight, had also heard of the celebrated reputation of Zhaiji Chen Vinegar; and… 1936 Mr. Han of Jia County entrusted someone to purchase several hundred jin of aged Chen vinegar on his behalf. In the past, a British director who once served at the Donglaitang Pharmacy in Jia County, as well as an American who had established a tobacco company in Xuchang, would include Zhaiji aged Chen vinegar among their gifts when returning home to visit relatives.