The Legend of Yanghe Daqu

As the saying goes: "When a famous wine comes out, there must be a good spring." Throughout China's famous wines and high-quality wines, most of them are brewed from groundwater with excellent water quality, especially from clear and sweet spring water. For example, Kweichow Moutai, known as the "national wine", is the Chishui River where mountain springs converge, with clear water and delicious taste. Sichuan Luzhou Laojiao special song, taking the water from "Longquan Well". Tsingtao beer, which is famous at home and abroad, relies on Laoshan mineral water. Shaoxing rice wine is brewed with mirror-clear Jianhu water. Shanxi Fenjiu, which is famous for thousands of years, uses well water from Xinghua Village. Yanghe Daqu, which is famous in five continents, has a unique style of "sweet, soft, clean and fragrant" thanks to the cool and sweet water quality of Yanghe Beauty Spring.

Yanghe, formerly known as Baiyang River. There is a clear spring at the corner of Baiyang River, which is called Beauty Spring. Where did Baiyang River come from, and why did the beautiful spring bath come into being? There are beautiful and moving stories circulating among the people.

It is said that more than 2,000 years ago, Xiang Yu, the overlord of the Western Chu Dynasty, led 8,000 soldiers to cross the river in Soochow and hit Huaishui, ready to overthrow the rule of the Qin Dynasty. Soon, he passed through Jigou, settled down in his home and his Hakka village, and took troops to practice every day. Before going to war, Xiang Yu invited all the soldiers to drink to boost morale. Because she used a lot of wine, Queen Yuji led many maids to fetch water for the brewer to make wine. Xiang Yu and his soldiers drank this fragrant wine and even praised it.

Xiang Yu was very excited and admired, because Yu personally carried water to make wine. He was as drunk as a fiddler. When he got excited, he grabbed the jade cup with a hip flask, got on a dark horse, urged the horse to whip and ran away. I ran from luoma lake to the south foot of Maling Mountain, stood on the top of my hometown and shouted with my head held high: "I want all villagers and elders to taste this beautiful wine!" "Xiang Yu said, and poured a full glass of wine and threw the pot and cup into the air. The jade cup hip flask immediately hit the big bluestone at the head of Maling Mountain, and the sweet wine gushed out. Where the wine drops, it drops out of a small dimple. Blink of an eye, dimples become springs, and some springs flow out and become rivers. As long as water is taken from these springs and rivers to make wine, the wine will be sweet and taste as good as the wine drunk by Chu Bawang. It is said that Baiyang River and Ren Mei Spring; Tian Quan in Huaihe River and Gaogou Winery in Sihong Shuanggou Winery; Phoenix Spring at the foot of Maling Mountain in Suqian. It was all formed by Xiang Yu's sprinkling of wine and dripping springs. From then on, Baiyang River was formed; Take the water of Baiyang River to make wine, which is mellow and sweet. Legend has it that one year, Lv Dongbin, a fairy, rode a white goat, took a crane with her, and drove around in colorful auspicious clouds. On this day, he crossed the Baiyang River, and there were waves of alcohol, both strong and weak, as if there were no. At this time, Lv Dongbin has been addicted to alcohol. When he walked down again, a strong smell of wine rushed in and made him feel excited. He involuntarily fell to the ground, drooling and licking his mouth, boasting: "Good wine, good wine!" At this time, he crept into the brewing tank, used invisibility, learned the old method of the Monkey King, cast spells, and let the winemaker fall asleep. Then, Lv Dongbin had a drink and had a good time. Then untie the wine gourd and fill it up, and quickly ran away in Xiangyun. Because I was in a daze, I slipped away in a hurry, leaving behind the white goat and the crane ear I was riding. Since then, the white goat and the crane have subsequently settled on the banks of the Baiyang River. Since then, the Baiyang River Basin has had a bumper harvest, livestock have prospered and the wine has become more fragrant. People say that because the ears of white goats and cranes bring good news to Baiyang River, it is also synonymous with Yanghe. On the logo of Yanghe Daqu "Yanghe" brand, a white goat stands in the middle, surrounded by two ears of rice, symbolizing "auspiciousness and longevity".

This beautiful Baiyang River in history was washed away and silted up because of the flood of the Yellow River. Since then, it has become an abandoned Yellow River beach with flying sand all over the sky. The barren land of generations has changed now. Looking up, you can see patches of fruit forests, sparkling fish ponds, flocks of geese and ducks, and towering trees. Here, it presents a vibrant scene.

Now, although the Baiyang River no longer exists, the beautiful spring still exists, and her sweet spring water and beautiful legend will remain in the world forever. "Intoxicated people won't be drunk, famous wine, might as well even drink three cups. One mouthful, full of wine, three cups, enough to eat for a hundred days! " This is a poem by the famous poet Huang Dongcheng praising Yanghe Daqu liquor.

Yanghe Daqu, famous for its high quality and high yield, is famous for its land. This wine is brewed from the cool and sweet Yanghe "Ren Mei Spring" and has a unique style of "sweet, soft, clean and fragrant". For hundreds of years, long-term prosperity.

Jiangsu Yanghe Distillery, which produces Yanghe fine wine, is located in Yanghe Town at the junction of Siyang, Sucheng and Sihong counties in northern Jiangsu. Xu (Zhou) Huai (An) Highway passes through the ancient town, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is close to the north of the town, with smooth traffic, prosperous market and a long history of brewing. "Siyang County Records" contains: "Yanghe Daqu, according to legend, has enjoyed a high reputation in the Tang Dynasty, and it is even more famous in the Ming Dynasty, with a history of more than 400 years. At that time, merchants from 9 provinces including Shanxi, Shandong and Anhui set up troughs in Yanghe to make wine. " Guangxu's "Huai 'an County Records" records that "... since dawn, salt, wine and oil have always been the most important. Wine used to be wormwood and pearls, but in fact it is both wine and qu". Tomorrow's "Fu Zhi" records: "Before Zheng De, Huai Jiu was famous. "According to research, Huai wine here mainly includes Yanghe Daqu. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the Yanghe River had 27 valleys. More than 70 famous winemakers from inside and outside the province gathered here to compete for wine.

Taste occupies the reputation of "the first in the south of the Yangtze River" and is listed as a tribute to the royal family in the Qing Dynasty. According to historical records, during the second southern tour of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong lived in Suqian Palace for seven days, and after tasting Yanghe Daqu, he left a eulogy of "the wine was mellow and delicious". In the 4th year of the Republic of China (19 15) and in the 2nd year of the Republic of China (12), it won the title of international famous wine and the international awards of Panama International Famous Wine Expo and Nanyang International Famous Wine Competition respectively.

There is an old saying: "When there is a famous wine, there must be a good spring." At the corner of Baiyang River in the west of Yanghe ancient town, there used to be a large area of reeds, including a pond. The water in the pond is as clear as a mirror, and the spring water is full of flowers, which is called "God Spring" by the locals. No matter in dry year or flood year, this well has been flowing and the water level has been kept in balance. There are many beautiful legends about the origin of this "God Spring". According to legend, there was a beautiful girl named Mei in Yanghe town at that time. She is kind-hearted and clever. Due to poor family circumstances, parents died one after another due to poverty and illness; May and her grandmother were left alone. Soon, Mei was hired as a servant by a local bully and rich man. That bully often asks her to go to town to buy him wine. Once, on the way to buy wine, Mei saw a poor villager who was sick. She felt sorry for her, so she gave the money for wine to the poor man. What if I have no money to buy wine? Mei used her quick wits to scoop out a pot of spring water from the well and continue her work. Unexpectedly, the bully thought that "wine" was sweeter than usual, so he asked Mei, "Where did you buy this good wine?" Mei faltered and said, "I bought it in a new trough in Yanghe town." The bully believed it and ordered Mei to buy him wine in this trough in the future. Since then, Mei often scooped out spring water from the spring water and used the money to buy wine to help some poor villagers. Soon, the bully found out the secret and was very angry, so he followed May. When Mei went to the spring to scoop water again, she pushed Mei into the spring. After the death of May, this spring is even more fragrant. In memory of her, people named it "Beauty Spring". Now, Yanghe Winery has built an antique beauty fountain pavilion and a slim statue on the original site of this well for people to enjoy. This story is just a legend. The groundwater in Yanghe Town is really clear and transparent, soft and sweet, not a fake story.

Today, I walked into the yard of Yanghe Winery, turned west and saw the famous Beauty Spring. Here, surrounded by green willows, steep rocks, gurgling springs, a beautiful white marble statue, a portable hip flask, graceful, smiling and standing on the sparkling water. The antique hexagonal pavilion stands in Chi Pan, surrounded by rockeries, caves and exotic flowers and grasses, and becomes a beautiful scenery. Many tourists visit Ren Mei Spring while tasting Yanghe wine. Some come from inside and outside the Great Wall; Some come from the north and south of the river; Some come from Beijing, the capital, and even abroad. Guests from Germany, America, Japan, Romania and other countries come here to watch. Poets and poets write poems and paint pictures in the face of beautiful spring from time to time, leaving behind excellent works of praise. 1In April, 1984, Fei Xiaotong, Vice Chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Professor Peking University, a famous economist and sociologist, wrote an article with thousands of words, entitled "Get drunk after smelling the fragrance, get drunk after tasting it", in which there was a passage that linked the beautiful and tragic stories of beautiful spring and expressed strong feelings. He wrote: "The girl was pushed into the water and disappeared. Spring water keeps pouring out, and people use this spring water to brew pure and sweet wine. In memory of this girl, this spring is called Beauty Spring "; "It is not always people's intention to link famous wines with stories of human joys and sorrows. In fact, it did happen … "1986 in the golden autumn. More than 30 national famous poets, including Yan Chen, Zou Difan and Lv Yuan, formed Huaiyin" Jiuguo Poetry Society "and came to Yanghe Winery to face the newly renovated" Beauty Spring ". According to legend, there was a kind and beautiful Xiangmei girl in Baiyangguan (now Yanghe Town) in the late Ming Dynasty. Because of her poor family, she worked as a maid in the Wang family. Mr. Wang is very cunning and likes drinking very much. He often asks Xiang Mei to buy him wine in town. On the night of September, Xiang Mei went to Qiaoxi Hotel to buy wine. No sooner had she crossed the bridge than she met an old woman in rags, shivering with cold. She was kind enough to give all the money for wine to the old man.

When Mr. Wang saw Xiang Mei coming back with an empty bottle, he asked what was going on. When telling this story to Mei, Miss Wang flew into a rage and forced her to get her money back. Xiang Mei was forced to return and walk to the bridge. The old man had disappeared, and then she went to the small hotel, which was closed.

Xiang Mei was in a dilemma, thinking: It is better to die than to go back and suffer again. Xiang Mei ran to the edge of a dirty well and was about to jump, but she was caught. Looking back at Mei, in the dim light, it was a sister as beautiful as flowers and pure as jade pulling herself. Xiang Mei turned and pounced on her sister, crying as if she had met a relative.

After listening to this, my sister comforted Xiang Mei and said, "Xiang Mei's sister is very kind. Why did she jump into the well? My sister will give you a bottle of wine, so please drink it quickly. Don't be sad! " She raised her hand and pulled out the Hosta, with the comb pinned to her hair, and took a photo gently above the wellhead. Suddenly, the well turned over and the wine smelled good. She immediately filled a bottle, handed it to Xiang Mei, and told her that if she was in trouble in the future, as long as she shouted three times at the well, someone would come to help her. Say that finish, a sweet wind, I do not know where to go.

Xiang Mei went back with wine with a grain of salt. When Mr. Wang took a sip of Xiangmei wine, he felt a strong fragrance invade his heart. Sweet and wonderful, peace day is very different, so we will not pursue it.

From then on, Xiang Mei went to help the poor neighbors in Yanghe Town every time she got the wine money, and then quietly took the bottle to find Jiuxiang's sister to drink and find a job. After a long time, members suddenly became suspicious. One day, he asked Xiang Mei to buy wine, and he followed him quietly. When he saw Xiang Mei go to the well to call someone, it was a beautiful woman in gorgeous clothes who poured wine into the bottle for Mei. Mr. Wang suddenly fell in love with himself, so he had the cheek to rush forward. Who knows, with a flick of the cuff of Jiuxiang Fairy, the girl turned into a wisp of breeze to Mei and drifted away. Since then, people have called this well "Beauty Well". There are springs underground, which are dry all the year round and the water quality is clear. People also call it "beauty spring". There is a story of "Guo Gongjiu" among the people in northern Jiangsu. "National Tribute Wine", also known as "Shiguo Tribute Wine", why is this wine named and what is its wonderful use? There is a magical legend here.

According to legend, in the winter of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, the Qing soldiers attacked Yanjing, during which the Axe King and Zhu Yousong came to Ning to establish the Nanming Dynasty. Shi Kefa, the minister of the Ministry of War, led a large number of military forces to Jiangbei to build a defense line to resist the Qing soldiers going south. At that time, Shi Kefa went to the front line to direct the soldiers to resist the enemy.

When Shi Kefa led the troops to Yanghe Ancient Town, it was the middle of winter, with cold weather, cold wind, continuous rain and snow and wet everywhere. Under this condition, Shi Kefa, like the soldiers, dressed in armor, camped on the battlefield and waited for an opportunity, especially at night, when the weather was even worse. Suffering from hunger and cold, Shi Kefa soon felt sore bones and muscles, and it was difficult to lift his arms. It turned out that he was suffering from rheumatism.

Shi Kefa was very anxious after his illness. Personal safety is secondary, but resistance to Qing soldiers is primary. So, I invited a famous doctor in the military camp to treat the disease, and all kinds of panacea were used, but it was still useless. Just as he was worried, that night, Shi Kefa was lying on the bunk and moping. Suddenly, his door creaked open. Shi Kefa looked intently and saw a white-haired old man standing in front of him. He was flushed and full of energy. He stepped forward with a smile and said, "Hello Inspector Shi!"

Shi Kefa was puzzled for a moment and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am a folk old Chinese medicine practitioner in Yanghe Town. Although my medical skill is not high, I heard that my loyal and patriotic history suffers from rheumatism. I have a small prescription here to cure you. " Said, and took out a bottle of Yanghe Daqu from the bosom, and then took out a few Chinese herbal medicines, let Shi Kefa bubble into medicinal liquor, take it every day, saying that drinking it would have an effect. According to the method of the old doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, Shi Kefa took this medicinal liquor. It's very effective after drinking. Soon, his rheumatism was cured. Later, some soldiers also suffered from this disease, so Shi Kefa put Yanghe Daqu in a jar and soaked it in medicinal liquor, which cured many soldiers suffering from rheumatism in the army. Since then, the morale of the soldiers has been greatly encouraged, and they won the battle.

Later, in memory of Shi Kefa, people called the medicinal liquor brewed with Yanghe Daqu "Shi Guogong Liquor". Also known as "national wine". In this way, "Guogong Liquor" became a famous wine in Jianghuai area, and its formula spread all over the country. If you take the "national wine" for a long time, you will get good results. Yanghe, an ancient town, is the throat from Huai 'an to Xuzhou and northern Anhui. The traffic here is developed and it has always been a battleground for military strategists. The story of "Good Wine Plan" is a touching legend left by Shi Kefa, a patriotic general of Ming Dynasty.

According to legend, after the Qing army attacked Yanjing in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Regent Dourgen led a heavy army south. Soldiers crossed southern Shandong in an attempt to cross the Yellow River and occupy the Alamo. There was a bloody battle with the Ming army for 7749 rounds, and there was no victory. At this time, Dourgen was anxious like a cat on hot bricks, fidgeting, and couldn't think of a good way at the moment. So, he sent spies to inquire about the news everywhere. Later, I heard that there is Yanghe wine in Yanghe town, and its fragrance is attractive. Dourgen was ecstatic and shouted, "Great! Great!"

In order to boost the morale of the officers and men, Dourgen issued this order: "When you enter the Baiyang River, the officers and men will have a three-day holiday. Feel free to drink wine, and beautiful women can bring it casually. " When the soldiers heard about drinking Yanghe wine, they were all in a hurry.

This situation was known by Du Shi Shi Kefa, who was stationed in the Alamo at that time, and he immediately came up with a coup. On the one hand, he sent troops to guard the riverbank in the north of the city, and on the other hand, he sent troops to dig an east-west river in the south of the city.

After the river was dug, Shi Kefa made some elaborate arrangements, quickly withdrew the soldiers guarding the embankment, and took the plebeian people to transport all the wines brewed by several families in Yanghe Town to the south.

The Qing soldiers destroyed the Yellow River and poured into Yanghe Town. As soon as they saw the jar of wine being carried away, they immediately chased it south. Chasing, the brigade just ran to the newly opened Hetao, only to see the fleeing Ming army soldiers and people leave the crock and flee in haste.

At this time, the officers and men of the Qing army stopped when they saw the jar falling, and abandoned their horses and guns one by one, fighting for the jar. I saw a drooling, messy wine grab. Just when the Qing soldiers were intoxicated and confused, suddenly, there was a loud noise upstream, and the earth dam that was temporarily blocked was blasted. The raging flood rushed down like a beast, and the Qing soldiers could not escape for a while, all of them were buried in the water.

Since then, people have called this newly opened river "Manhe". After the establishment of the Qing regime, it was renamed "Man River" because it was taboo. Today, Malan River has become the drainage ditch of Yanghe Winery. The story about Shi Kefa defeating the Qing soldiers with wine is widely circulated in northern Jiangsu, and it has always been a beautiful talk.