◎Hengshui Laobaigan Liquor

Hengshui Laobaigan liquor has a long history.Its history can be traced back to the Han Dynasty.It became well-known in the Tang Dynasty,and was officially named in the Ming Dynasty,awarded for export in modern times,produced by a state-owned factory after liberation,and developed and improved in the contemporary era.(https://www.daowen.com)

The prosperity and quality of Hengshui liquor were recorded in writing as early as in the Han Dynasty.In the Tang Dynasty,the liquor industry was still prosperous,and Hengshui liquor became more famous.“Jizhou Hengshui Liquor” was recorded in the Jing Hua Yuan,a famous works of the Qing Dynasty.The poet Wang Zhihuan also liked Hengshui liquor when he served as the deputy governor of Hengshui.Until the Song Dynasty,Hengshui’s brewing industry was still thriving.It is said that “After the jar is opened,liquor’s fragrance spreads ten li away and people are drunk in thousands of families.” Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty,Hengshui liquor had higher quality,and there were many good sentences praising Hengshui liquor,such as “People of the three next doors are drunk,and after the jar is opened,liquor’s fragrance spreads ten li away;”“Smelling liquor’s fragrance,people get off the horse; knowing the taste,people park their carriages;”“Its reputation spreads three thousand li north of Hebei,and its taste is better than the best taste in the south of the Yangtze River.”During the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty,Hengshui liquor was named Laobaigan.“Lao” refers to its long production history,“Bai” means that the liquor body is colorless and transparent,and “Gan” means no water content after burning,that is,it is pure.These three words accurately summarize the characteristics of Hengshui Laobaigan liquor.After that,Hengshui Laobaigan liquor was famous for its “fragrant smell,sweet taste and long aftertaste.”