Long history, immortal monument
Long history, immortal monument
Foreword
The world-known famous Luzhoulaojiao, which was founded in the time of the reign of Emperor Wanli (1573AD), is more than 430 years old now. In these years, brave and tenacious National Cellar People created glories generation after generation. On the road, they walked from a victory to a new victory and from a glory to a new glory. Luzhoulaojiao,as a Chinese liquor culture immortal monument, which will stand tall on the land of China forever.
Luzhou alcohol, since ancient era
The 435 years we are talking about, only refers to the age of the National cellars. However, the history of liquor-brewing in Luzhou is as long as the age of Bashu Civilization. Collected by Luzhou Museum, the clay angular goblet of Qin Dynasty which excavated from Luzhou proved that alcohol had been invented early in Qin Dynasty at least. The picture of Witchcraft Prayer which was carved on a coffin described a menu that using alcohol for worship in Han Dynasty, and this proved that people had been able to understand how to use liquor to express etiquette as early as 2000 years ago .
in Han Dynasty, our country has began to manage the liquor business. The technology of Daqu, an activator, which accelerates the fermentation process of liquor-brew materials, had also developed. At that time, dispersive Daqu had already become integer. Until Sui Tang and five Dynasties, Luzhou distillery industry already had been very prosperous. More than 200 liquorwares excavated from an old civilian ceramics vault site of Sui Tang and five dynasties which was dug at the side of National cellars in 1999. The rice liquor-brewing technology of minority intercoursed with traditional brewing technology of the Han nationality in Tang dynasty. It accelerated the development of Luzhou liquor-brew technology. At the same time, litchi was also used as liquor-brew materials. The quality of litchi liquor was very high.
in Song Dynasty, Luzhou distillery industry grew quickly. Among the six new revenue sections, the Liquor Affair Department was responsible for liquor revenue collection. The liquor revenue of Luzhou was 10% of local total revenue. And emperor of Song Dynasty adopted the policy that relax the liquor control to benefit people of border. This made the distillery industry much more prosperous. At that time,Luzhou liquor was divided into big liquor and small liquor. Especially the big liquor, which was in essence distilled liquor, was very close to today¡¯s strongly aroma liquor in the aspect of materials selection, technological operations, and fermentation methods. It could be said that the big liquor is the predecessor of Luzhoulaojiao Da Qu liquor.
1573 AD,National cellars were founded
The vigorous development of Luzhou distillery industry between Ming and Qing Dynasty provided good conditions for the birth of Luzhoulaojiao. After middle of Ming period, commodity economy was very active. And at that time, bud of capitalism had already appeared. Because of the balanced rice price and relaxant revenue policy, the distillery industry gradually divorced from agriculture and became an independent handicraft producing section. There were many liquor-brew households then. With this background, Luzhoulaojiao was finally born in the south part of the city.
The National cellars in Yinggoutou are the most notable sign for the birth of Luzhoulaojiao. More than one hundred years ago, these cellars were called as ¡°three hundred-year-old cellar¡±. In 1958, the State Light Industry Department had organized a team of relevant experts to make them explore the doubtless age of the cellars and the technology of Luzhoulaojiao Da Qu liquor. Experts were fully convinced that these cellars were founded in the years of the reign of Emperor Wanli(1573AD-1619AD).
Even then, the liquor workshop ¡°Shujuyuan¡± was built and began to work. Shujuyuan workshop inherited the first and the second generations of brewing skills of Luzhou Daqu liquor which were separately invented by the famous liquor masters Huaiyu Guo and Jingzhang Shi of China and produced the third generation of Luzhou Daqu.
The cellars came down from generation to generation. And in 1996, as living cultural relics, they were awarded as Key Historical Sites Under State Protection by State Department. The parlance that ¡®The First Cellar In China¡¯ achieved world-wide fame again.
in the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Tongzhi,Qing Dyansty, Xuanyu Wen who was the ninth master of Wen family bought ten old cellars from Shujuyuan workshop and built a factory which called Yu Wenyongsheng Distillery by these cellars. Liquor that originated from these cellars was named as Three Hundred-Year-Old Da Qu liquor. In 1911, Xiaoquan Wen, who was Xuanyu Wen¡¯s offspring, inherited the family fortune and changed the name of the family factory as Xiao Wenyongshen Distillery. At this time, old cellars spreaded around the whole city. Even there were 36 liquor workshops and more than 1000 cellars. In 1915, Panama- Pacific international exhibition was hold in San Francisco of America. The Luzhoulaojiao Da Qu liquor brewed by Wenyongsheng Distillery won the first prize in this exhibition. After the exhibition, a great many liquor factories, such as Tianchengsheng, Xietaixiang and Chunherong, were quickly developed . It promoted the development of the whole distillery industry of Luzhou.
Cross four ridge, create great glories
After foundation of the People¡¯s Republic of China, Luzhoulaojiao inherited the glorious tradition of ancestors and worked hard. It came through joint venture of government and private citizen in early stage. Then it carried through technical innovation in the eighth five-year plan, pushed the stock alteration in 1990s, and finally established the group. These were four beneficial leaps of Luzhoulaojiao.
At the beginning of the foundation of new China, the party and the government called upon all industries to take the cooperant and associated road. Supported by the party and the government, the 36 brewery mills such as Chunherong, Dingji, Wengyongsheng and Qulian associated one after another and finally established the First State-owned Distillery Of Sichuan Monopoly in March 1952. In December 1953, the distillery in the place of Xiaoshi, Nantian,Luohan,Nancheng,Hushi,Fuji organized Luzhou State-owned Distillery and was associated with the First State-owned Distillery Of Sichuan Monopoly to form a new distillery named Luzhou State-owned Qu Distillery in April 1954. With the rapid development of socialist construction ,Luzhou Qu Distillery vigorously developed production and improved the level of production. Ultimately, it formed a suit of complete and scientific handicraft as the earliest pattern of China and attracted altitudinal attention in liquor field. Thousands of people who came from the liquor factories around all country came to Luzhou to visit and study since1953. In January 1961, Local State-owned Distillery was associated with the Public-Private Partnerships Distillery Of Luzhou to form the Luzhou Qu Distillery and changed its name as Luzhou Qu Distillery Of Sichuan Province in 1964.
After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, Luzhou Qu Distillery entered a new development period of history. As a famous enterprise which is more than 400 years old, the development of Luzhoulaojiao can not depart from the supporting of the party and government leaders. In 1980, department of commerce identified Luzhoulaojiao as the first pioneer to expand the enterprise. In 1984, the government of province identified Luzhou Qu Distillery as one of the first batch of enterprise that practicing the system of overall leadership by the factory director. And then, Luzhoulaojiao spent large capital to reconstruct Luohan production base from 1985 until 1988, and ultimately made the annual output of the base achieve to 1000 tons.
in August 1990, Luzhou Qu Distillery was renamed as Luzhoulaojiao Distillery. Thereupon, the distillery name, brand name and cellar name were all in one. In June 1993, the original Luzhoulaojiao distillery started to reorganize individually and built the first public listing on stock company in the liquor field of Sichuan province.
in the March 16,1994, the stock ¡°Luzhoulaojiao¡± which belonged to Luzhoulaojiao Co., Ltd, listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange. In the December 21,2000, Luzhoulaojiao Co., Ltd was founded in due form. The company rationalized the structure of the corporate governance, thus forming an effective mechanism of checks and balance.
