Inheritors pass on traditional vinegar making in Lijiang

In the memories of local residents in Yunnan's Lijiang old town, there is a taste deeply ingrained in their minds—the flavor of a vinegar made through traditional handcrafted methods.

The Zhongyi Vinegar Shop is located near Zhongyi Market in Lijiang Old Town.

Senior inheritors preserve the traditional flavor

When it comes to the vinegar flavor of Lijiang Old Town, some people carry on their ancestral crafts out of a sense of sentiment. Such is the case with the elderly couple Zhang Dequn and Li Siquan, who have run the "Lijiang Vinegar" shop for decades.

Though they are now approaching 80 years old, and their children and grandchildren are busy with their own work and cannot help them much, the elderly couple still hires assistants to brew Naxi-style aromatic vinegar, staying committed to their vinegar shop.

Zhang is accustomed to the slow-paced life of tending the shop.

Zhang recalled that before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were several households in Lijiang's Old Town that made sauces and vinegars. For example, the Fu and Yang families both produced these traditional condiments. After the founding of the People's Republic, a mutual-aid cooperative was established in Dayan Town.

Li Siquan sells vinegar at the shop.

With the passage of time, the Lijiang supermarkets are now filled with a dazzling array and vinegars. Yet in the hearts of old-timers of the old town, these traditionally crafted vinegars have always held an irreplaceable place.

A customer gets some vinegar at the shop.

He Xiuhong passes on vinegar making in new era

The passing of food culture always goes hand in hand with social development. Although the traditional vinegar of Lijiang's Old Town alleyways has faded with the passage of time, this familiar old taste will always be passed down in the right place.

He Xiuhong covers the vinegar liquid filtered into the vat.

53-year-old He Xiuhong was among the 2025 list of representative inheritors of the sixth batch of intangible cultural heritages in Lijiang old town. She is a new inheritor of the traditional brewing techniques of Naxi aromatic vinegar.

To expand the market and enhance product competitiveness, He Xiuhong has also traveled to Shanxi and Xi'an for technical exchanges and learning. He said that traditional Naxi aromatic vinegar is made from highland grains such as corn and barley. It features a refreshing, sweet aftertaste.

He Xiuhong and his father process the raw material.

A corner of Lijiang Old Town

No matter how time flows or eras change, the time-honored flavor of the Lijiang old town will never fade. It is a traditional food culture sentiment etched into their very bones—destined to be passed down through generations, with its roots enduring forever.