Bronze Vessels Sleeping in the Earth
Just a short distance from the Mianzhu spirits region lies the Sanxingdui archaeological site, famous for its astonishing bronze and pottery artifacts. A significant proportion of these ancient unearthings are wine vessels—intricate zun, he, and jia—which slept in the earth for over three thousand years before revealing the vibrant drinking culture of the ancient Shu people. 1
In the ancient world, the brewing of alcohol was the ultimate proof of agricultural prosperity. The sheer volume of wine vessels found at Sanxingdui tells us that the Chengdu Plain already possessed a highly developed agrarian society. Only when a civilization has secured an abundant surplus of food can it afford to transform precious grain into spirits. As the classical text Huayang Guozhi famously described the Sichuan basin:
The people control the waters and droughts, knowing no famine... known to the world as the Heavenly Wealth.
— Huayang Guozhi 2
This profound abundance laid the most solid foundation for the region's brewing history.
A Natural Cellar Beneath the Longmen Mountains
The ancient Shu people were able to brew their early spirits thanks to a remarkably blessed environment. Situated on the north-western edge of the Sichuan Basin, the region is sheltered by the Longmen Mountains. Glacier-fed springs flow down to nourish the slightly acidic yellow clay, while an annual rainfall of over 1,200 millimetres creates a lush, humid climate. This environment not only allowed crops to thrive but also served as a vast, natural incubator for the microscopic life essential to fermentation.
More than three millennia later, this same terroir continues to work its magic in Mianzhu. The unbroken brewing environment has cultivated over a thousand species of microbes in the region's old fermentation pits. In 2019, the China Alcoholic Drinks Association officially named Mianzhu a "World Fine Spirits Characteristic Region"—an honour that acknowledges both the quality of modern Sichuan baijiu and the deep historical roots of the land.
A Three-Thousand-Year Lineage in the Cup
From the bronze vessels of Sanxingdui to the Han-dynasty brewing bricks unearthed in Mianzhu, and onward to the celebrated Jiannan Shaochun of the Tang dynasty, the lineage of Sichuan spirits has never been broken. The profound reverence for grain and the patience for time remain deeply ingrained in the local craft.
Today, on this very soil, the Qifu distillery continues this ancient agrarian wisdom. Inside traditional yellow-mud pits under a red-grain cap, a blend of five grains—sorghum, wheat, rice, glutinous rice and corn—undergoes solid-state fermentation for about two months. Distillers rely on the traditional zeng still and the rigorous practice of separating the spirit by quality, before resting the baijiu in clay jars to mature.
When we open a red porcelain bottle of Bainian Qifu · 8 at a modern dinner table, we are participating in a tradition that stretches back to antiquity. The ancient Shu people raised their heavy bronze vessels to honour the heavens and the earth; today, we pour this flagship strong-aroma spirit into small cups to enjoy with friends in moderation. As the smooth, sweet spirit reveals its full pit aroma and nutty, caramel-like finish, it offers more than just a fine drink—it is a taste of an ancient land that has never stopped brewing.
