“A drop of mature vinegar needs to go through 82 processes, and it also needs to go through a long period of natural sunlight evaporation and ice extraction in winter. The whole process takes at least more than 400 days.

"A drop of old vinegar needs to go through 82 processes, and it has to go through a long period of natural sunlight evaporation and ice extraction in winter. The whole process takes at least more than 400 days." In the "Laoxi Vinegar Expo" of the Old Mature Vinegar Group, hundreds of large vinegar vats are neatly displayed in a transparent "greenhouse" for aging; five kinds of grains are piled in the underground vinegar cellar Next to the pile of adulterated raw materials, workers in work clothes were stirring Daqu with sticks, and the strong aroma of vinegar spread in every corner of the garden... "Slow work makes careful work", and the Shanxi mature vinegar brewed with meticulous craftsmanship ranks first among the four famous vinegars in China with its "rich taste, not overpowering vinegar smell, sour and sweet, accompanied by the aroma of wine", and its rich nutrition.

However, as market competition becomes increasingly fierce, in recent years, Shanxi mature vinegar has increasingly felt the severe impact from marketization. The two main problems of being unable to produce quickly in batches and high cost make mature vinegar face severe challenges. The traditional production method requires larger space and site, and requires greater investment in manpower, material resources, financial resources, etc. However, the "liquid vinegar brewing method" adopted in modern technology can produce finished products in a week. How to find a balance between inheritance and innovation is a major issue faced by not only old vinegar, but also the inheritance of all intangible cultural heritage. Faced with such a problem, how should Chairman Guo Junlu stand out in inheritance and innovation?

Chairman Guo Junlu

"We cannot abandon the classic skills accumulated by our ancestors for hundreds of years, but we cannot enshrine our ancestors' things like tablets." said Guo Junlu, inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage. The method of making Shanxi mature vinegar has not reduced the key processes, such as artificial koji making, solid-state fermentation and other core links. It has always insisted on using experienced masters for manual control. However, in non-critical links, we have tried every means to improve the process, introduce modern equipment, conduct mass production, and reduce costs. For example, in the filling process, modern equipment has been introduced. In order to meet the needs of the market, we actively innovate products and develop other functions such as health care and drinking in addition to the seasoning function of mature vinegar. 10 major series and nearly 100 products including health vinegar, flavor vinegar, medicinal vinegar, and fruit vinegar beverages have emerged.

While protecting traditional techniques, Shanxi Old Mature Vinegar Group has also built two production parks into industrial tourism parks to show tourists the original manual production process of old mature vinegar. "Currently we have received more than 3 million tourists, using modern models to promote ancient vinegar-making skills. This is also a reflection of inheritance and innovation in inheritance," said Guo Dong. "Shanxi old-aged vinegar inherits more than just the production process. Only the memory of old-aged vinegar can be called inheritance." Under the concept of innovation in inheritance and inheritance in innovation, "East Lake" continues to carry forward Shanxi's traditional vinegar-making skills and inherit the essence of wisdom left to us by the older generation.