Zhenjiang Vinegar Industry Park

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.” 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.

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.

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. 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.

See also

• Zhenjiang Vinegar Culture Museum
• Zhenjiang vinegar