Zhenjiang Vinegar Industry Park
Industrial park in Jiangsu, China
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Zhenjiang Vinegar Industry Park (Chinese: 镇江醋业产业园) serves as a pivotal location for China's vinegar production, mostly focused on Hengshun Vinegar. It amalgamates ancient brewing artistry with contemporary industrial frameworks, establishing a hybrid development model that unites industry, culture, tourism, and agriculture. The park is universally acknowledged as the central catalyst of Zhenjiang's designation as "China's Vinegar Capital."[1][2]
Industrial and Cultural Heritage
Established in 1840 during the Qing Dynasty, Hengshun Vinegar is recognized for its "solid-state layered fermentation" method, which was designated as a national intangible cultural asset in 2006. The park includes the China Vinegar Culture Museum, a national 4A-level tourist destination, which exhibits a thousand years of vinegar production history. Visitors may engage in traditional hand-brewing methods and personalize vinegar products at an on-site intangible heritage workshop.[3]
In 2024, the park was designated as a “National Productive Protection Demonstration Base for Intangible Cultural Heritage” and was awarded the “Innovation Star of Industrial Tourism.” It has received more than ten national accolades, including recognition as a National Industrial Heritage Site and a National Science Education Base.[4][5]
Manufacturing
In 2017, Hengshun allocated ¥120 million to implement a German-manufactured, fully automated bottling line capable of producing 24,000 bottles per hour, thereby becoming the sole condiment firm chosen for China's national smart manufacturing demonstration initiative.[6]
To guarantee quality and traceability, the business created a 20,000-mu (about 1,300 hectares) organic agricultural base in Daizhuang, Tianwang Town, Jurong, dedicated to cultivating non-GMO glutinous rice. The ¥250 million foundation encompasses organic agriculture, food processing, and eco-tourism, establishing a closed-loop supply chain from cultivation to processing to distribution.[7]
Culture and Tourism
The park integrates industrial heritage with creative tourism by creating multi-themed experiences, including “Industry + Intangible Heritage,” “Industry + Education,” and “Industry + Creative Culture.”[8] Notable goods comprise vinegar-flavored ice cream, ceramic jar pillows, and the “Daily Flower Vinegar,” which received a gold award at the 2023 China Tourism Commodities Competition.[9]
To augment the immersive experience, the park restored a Qing Dynasty-style vinegar business, emulating the “shop-front, workshop-back” operational paradigm. The site integrates essential sights, including the Zhenjiang Vinegar Culture Museum and sun-drying vinegar yard.[10]
The park, as the core of "China's Vinegar Capital—Zhenjiang," has stimulated a regional industrial cluster of 43 vinegar firms, with an annual output surpassing 300,000 tons, or over 10% of national production. In 2019, the park's primary business revenue amounted to ¥3.03 billion.[4] It promotes craftsmanship via master workshops conducted by respected practitioners such as Qiao Guiqing and Lin Tianzhong, and integrates agriculture and tourism to position itself as a standard for industrial tourism in the Yangtze River Delta.[11]