Ming Dynasty Distillery Discovered in Eastern China

HEFEI, CHINA—Xinhua reports that traces of an industrial-scale distillery that operated during the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368–1644) and the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1644–1911) have been unearthed in eastern China. Chen Chao of the Anhui Provincial Institute of Heritage and Archaeology said three distillation stoves and more than 30 fermentation tanks have been uncovered so far. Drinking vessels, cigarette holders, and snuff bottles are among the more than 600 artifacts from the site. “This is the fourth ancient distillery workshop ruins ever found by Chinese archaeologists,” Chen explained. Two of those distilleries were discovered in Sichuan Province, in southwestern China. The fourth is located in east China’s Jiangxi Province. To read about the underwater discovery of a Ming Dynasty temple in southeastern China, go to "The Buddha of the Lake."