Cantonese goods travel the world, and Southern Network goes online. On April 21 at 11:30 AM, the “Lu Lu You You” livestream will host a special welfare event tracing the origins of Zhimeizhai products. On April 8, a visit was made to Yangxi County in Yangjiang City, the “Capital of Chinese Condiments,” to explore Zhimeizhai’s new production base in Yangxi and trace how this sauce, which has accompanied Guangdong families for four centuries, transforms from a soybean into a drop of rich umami.
From a small sauce workshop on Zhongshan Fourth Road during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty in 1608 to today’s intelligent factory covering over 300 mu, Zhimeizhai has written the legend: “One taste of Zhimeizhai, half the history of Chinese soy sauce.” As one of the first time-honored Chinese brands and one of the four great sauce gardens in China, the ancient motto of “six perfections”—”pure water, selected grains, proper craftsmanship, fragrant sauce, sincere hospitality, and delicious flavor”—has been passed down for over 400 years without deviation. Yellowed old photos, mottled sauce jars, and stone mills from the Republic of China era in the exhibition hall each tell the story of this old shop’s dedication to flavor.
Stepping onto the rooftop sun-drying yard of the factory, hundreds of sauce jars stand in neat rows under the sunlight, with a rich aroma of sauce filling the air. Master Liu Liangming, the 13th-generation inheritor of Zhimeizhai’s intangible cultural heritage, has worked here for over 30 years. He revealed the secret of Zhimeizhai’s “treasure of the shop”—the double sun-drying process for Tian Ding Tou Chou. It uses non-GMO soybeans from Northeast China, which are soaked, steamed, fermented, and then the first crude extract is taken. This extract undergoes a second fermentation with selected ingredients and is finally placed on a high rooftop to sun-dry for no fewer than 60 sunny days. Nature, through nearly 300 days of “sun-drying by day and dew by night,” concentrates the amino acid nitrogen in Tian Ding Tou Chou to 1.45 grams per 100 milliliters, far exceeding the national special-grade soy sauce standard. Master Liu firmly stated, “The sun-drying step absolutely cannot be skipped!” It is this reverence for traditional craftsmanship that makes Tian Ding Tou Chou the “finishing touch” in countless Cantonese kitchens.
Old skills have not been lost, and new technology further enhances quality. In Zhimeizhai’s intelligent production workshop, fully automated lines operate efficiently at a speed of 24,000 bottles per hour. The entire packaging line is equipped with four automatic identification and rejection devices—from empty bottle defect detection and filling level verification to label printing quality and box weight checking—every potential error point is precisely intercepted by smart equipment. Wang Hongtao, Operations Director of Zhimeizhai (Yangjiang) Food Co., Ltd., introduced that after the first phase of the project reaches full production, the annual output value can reach 1.3 billion yuan. Additionally, all workshop rooftops in the factory are covered with photovoltaic panels, with a total installed capacity of 4.63 megawatts and an annual power generation of about 5 million kilowatt-hours, meeting most of the electricity needs for the first phase and truly practicing the concept of green development.
From Zhongshan Fourth Road to Yangxi, from traditional stone mills to intelligent production lines, Zhimeizhai has changed its production methods but not its reverence for flavor and commitment to quality. On April 21 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, tune in to the Southern Network video channel and Lu Lu Observation video channel to have this 400-year-old Cantonese flavor delivered directly from the Yangxi seaside to your kitchen! Classic Zhimeizhai condiments such as Tian Ding Tou Chou, Tian Ding Te Xian, Tian Ding Bao Yan, glutinous rice sweet vinegar, and salt-baked chicken powder are sourced directly from the origin, with guaranteed quality. The livestream also features exclusive promotional prices—don’t miss out!
