The sprawling plains of northern Jiangsu belie that which lurks under foot; millions of years of geological change at work resulting in a superlative diamond in the world of liquor production. It’s one recently come to be officially recognised as such.
苏北广阔的平原掩盖了脚下的一切。数百万年的地质变化造就了白酒生产领域的顶级钻石。这是最近才被正式认可的一个。
A 2005 international committee of planetology came to the consensus that our Earth possesses just three regions suitable for the production of the greatest of alcohol. And they would be France, for its cognac; Scotland, for its whisky; and China, specifically Yanghe Town in Suqian, for its baijiu.
2005年，国际行星学委员会达成共识，地球上只有三个区域适合生产最好的酒精。他们是法国，因为它的干邑白兰地；苏格兰，因其威士忌；以及中国，特别是宿迁市洋河镇的白酒。
It’s the sheer scope of those geological processes at work which this year became responsible for a Guinness World Record.
正是这些地质作用的巨大范围，今年创造了吉尼斯世界纪录。
As per Guinness, “The largest baijiu cellar fermentation plant measures 334,127.08 square metres and was achieved by Jiangsu Yanghe Distillery Co., Ltd. (China) in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, on 4 September, 2024”.
根据吉尼斯纪录，“最大的白酒地窖发酵厂面积为 334,127.08 平方米，由江苏洋河酒厂有限公司（中国）于 2024 年 9 月 4 日在中国江苏省南京市建成”。
But such international recognition began at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition, in which Yanghe won a gold award. Its brand, Shuanggou, also scooped a gold medal in that event, something of a world expo held that year in San Francisco.
但这种国际认可始于1915年巴拿马太平洋万国博览会，洋河获得金奖。其品牌双沟也在该赛事中获得了金牌，该赛事相当于当年在旧金山举办的世界博览会。
The longer you do something, the better you get at doing it.
你做某事的时间越长，你就能做得越好。
Putting some perspective on the number reflected by the new world record is the fact it is comprised of 70,000 premium liquor fermentation pits, spread over three districts of the Yanghe distillery.
从新的世界纪录所反映的数字来看，它由70,000个优质白酒发酵坑组成，分布在洋河酒厂的三个区。
Mainly located within the Suqian Hongze Lake Wetland Ecosystem and Yanghe New Area, this is where fertile soil, abundant rainfall and a mild climate create ground zero for baijiu production. Locally grown grains have a high content of amylopectin, making gelatinisation when steamed a cinch. The end result is a liquor more mellow and soft.
主要位于宿迁市洪泽湖湿地生态系统和洋河新区范围内，土壤肥沃，雨量充沛，气候温和，是白酒生产的“归零地”。当地种植的谷物支链淀粉含量很高，蒸熟后很容易糊化。最终的结果是酒液更加醇厚、柔和。
They are facts which were not lost on distillers for centuries, with the fermentation pits dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Into these pits go the sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat, corn, barley, peas, something secret no doubt, and of course, the yeast that together comprise the mash. Out comes a mushy soup of alcoholic grains.
这些事实是酿酒厂几个世纪以来都没有忘记的，发酵坑的历史可以追溯到明朝（1368-1644 年）。这些坑里放入了高粱、大米、糯米、小麦、玉米、大麦、豌豆，毫无疑问是一些秘密，当然还有一起组成麦芽浆的酵母。出来的是酒精谷物的糊状汤。
They are just one of the many star attractions at the Yanghe Liquor Factory Cultural Tourist Scenic Area, where tickets for a standard tour costing ¥60 include as much as you want to drink, while those very much physically hard at work around you bring the liquor to life (these are men who have no need for a gym).
它们只是洋河酒厂文化旅游景区的众多明星景点之一，60元的标准旅游门票包含了想喝多少就喝多少，而你周围那些辛苦工作的人则让酒变得栩栩如生（这些都是不需要健身房的男人）。
Here, members of tour groups are invited to sample the virgin Yanghe, at 70 percent alcohol by volume, direct from the still. Most people Most people take just a sip or two, while some have one or two glasses.
在这里，旅游团成员可以直接从蒸馏器中品尝酒精度为 70% 的原始洋河酒。大多数人大多数人只喝一两杯，而有些人则喝一两杯。
In the product display area, potential buyers’ imaginations are sparked by customisation for zodiacal signs, special occasions, even different cities, and much more, cost just ¥100 extra for a box set of four or six bottles.
在产品展示区，针对十二生肖、特殊场合、甚至不同城市等的定制，激发了潜在买家的想象力，四六瓶一盒只需多花100元。
But the grandest of sights awaits outside, dubbed “The World’s First Wine Jar”. 9.5 metres high and completed in June 2020, some 100 tonnes of high-grade baijiu rests patiently within, worth at the time ¥600 million. Proclaimed as the world’s largest pottery jar for storing alcohol, it’s also likely the most photographed such jar.
但最宏伟的景观正在外面等待着，被称为“世界上第一个酒罐”。高9.5米，于2020年6月竣工，里面静静地存放着约100吨高档白酒，当时价值6亿元人民币。它被誉为世界上最大的酒精陶罐，也可能是被拍照最多的此类罐子。
They are all signs of perfection in terms of tourism promotion. And illustrative of the fact that this unlikely neck of the woods has been in the world-record business long before being officially recognised.
这些都是旅游推广方面的完美表现。这也说明了这样一个事实：这个看似不太可能的瓶颈在被正式认可之前很久就已经在创造世界纪录了。
Back in Yanghe’s contemporary of Scotland, and in its Gaelic language, “whisky” translates as “water of life”. So it also be in Yanghe Town where the industry of baijiu maintains tens of thousands of jobs, while continuing that began in ancient times; making an incalculable contribution to the indomitable Chinese spirit.
回到洋河同时代的苏格兰，在盖尔语中，“威士忌”被翻译为“生命之水”。洋河镇也是如此，这里的白酒产业维持着数以万计的就业岗位，延续着自古以来的传统；为坚韧不拔的中华精神做出了不可估量的贡献。
