If This River Has a Problem, More Than Half of China's Famous Liquors Will Be Affected (Part 1)

It's hard to find another river like this in China: it has nurtured 500 kilometers of beautiful scenery and 60% of China's famous liquors. It became known to the Chinese people because of the Red Army's four crossings, but 20 years before this classic battle, in 1915, Moutai, produced on the banks of the river, made its debut by winning a medal at the Panama Exhibition. This river is called the Chishui River, which originates in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan Province, meanders through the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, and flows into the Yangtze River in Hejiang County, Luzhou, Sichuan Province. The Chishui River, which is more than 520 kilometers long, is like the Yangtze River, with different names along the way, such as Yudong River in the upper reaches and Moutai River in Renhuai County, Guizhou Province, but it also has a name called "Meijiu River" (Beautiful Liquor River). The name of the Chishui River comes from the red color of the water caused by the red soil washed away by the rain during the flood season, but it is such a seemingly muddy river that has given birth to the most concentrated liquor factories in China, including many famous brands. "Drink Moutai upstream, look at Luzhou downstream, and drink Langjiu when the boat reaches Erlangtan." This is a vivid description. So how does the muddy Chishui River produce clear and refreshing liquor? The water used by the liquor factories along the Chishui River is undoubtedly taken from the Chishui River, but it is not the muddy river water that is clarified and used for brewing. The Chishui River was known as the Chihui River in ancient times, and Hui is a legendary dragon snake that changes in many ways, and the water of the Chishui River is indeed as "changeable" as Hui. The Chishui River is red during the rainy season from the Dragon Boat Festival to the Double Ninth Festival, and clear and transparent from the Double Ninth Festival to the Dragon Boat Festival of the following year. The brewing cycle of the liquor factories along the Chishui River is arranged according to the changes in the water of the Chishui River: making qu on the Dragon Boat Festival and adding sand on the Double Ninth Festival. Year after year, one cycle per year.