Reviving a spirit

Fenjiu's new conglomerate features more than 100 imposing ancient-looking buildings and will showcase the whole process of wine making to the public in future. [Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

"First, you need to move the blocks of the compacted mixture into a room, wrap them with mats, and then inject them with the microorganism," say Wang.

Then, one relies on experience to adjust room temperature and humidity, including by opening or closing windows and turning over the blocks. No modern machine can help.

Wang says he is used to waking up in the middle of the night to check on the fermentation process.

"It's like taking care of a baby. But the yeast is the heart of the liquor. If it's not properly handled, the later process is a lost cause," he says.

The main thing is for the microorganism to spread on the surface like a thin layer of sesame.

When the 26 days is over, Wang takes a few days off before the next round starts.

When asked if he gets bored with the work, Wang says the process never ceases to surprise him.

"The beauty is that every time is different, and you can always make better yeast than the previous one, and you feel pride when the yeast makes for better liquor."

Saying goodbye to Wang, we make our way to the Fenjiu museum that has a history of more than 800 years.