Xingmao soy sauce brewing technique is a traditional skill project in the fifth batch of representative projects of Huai'an City's intangible cultural heritage. Historical evolution and distribution Xingmao soy sauce brewing technique is a traditional brewing method of soy sauce handed down by the ancestors of Wang's family in Xingmao Soy Sauce Garden, Hexia Town, Huai'an District, Huai'an City, with a history of more than 200 years. Xingmao Soy Sauce Garden is located on Huzui Street, Hexia Ancient Town, Huaicheng Town, Huai'an District. Xingmao Soy Sauce Garden was originally in Dantu, Zhenjiang. The ancestors of the Wang family started to open a soy sauce garden during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, Wang Deyuan (named Yueshan) moved to Huai'an with his family and brought the ancestral soy sauce brewing technique to Huai'an, which has continued to this day and has a history of 100 years in Huai'an. Basic content and important value Since its establishment, Xingmao Soy Sauce Garden has been mainly engaged in the production of soy sauce, vinegar and pickles. Soy sauce has the characteristics of clear body, delicious taste and hanging bowl without sticking bowl. Xingmao soy sauce brewing technique is exquisite in material selection and unique in craftsmanship. The materials should be selected from soybeans with no peculiar smell, no deterioration, and good color, as well as high-quality flour ground from local wheat (the flour should contain 2%-3% dextrin, the purpose is to allow Aspergillus oryzae to fully reproduce on the koji), and Huai salt. The koji is made in a bamboo flat. After the koji is made, salt and water are added to the jar. After being exposed to the sun and dew for more than 180 days, the soy sauce is mature, and then filtered and disinfected, it can be put on the market. After Wang Deyuan moved the sauce garden to Huai'an, due to the exquisite materials, rich fat fragrance, brown-red color, clear body, delicious taste, hanging bowl without sticking to the bowl, and long-term storage without deterioration, it quickly opened up the market and became very popular. After liberation, Wang Deyuan's son Wang Dingqiang and grandson Wang Songyu actively responded to the call of the party and participated in public-private partnerships with sauce gardens such as "Defeng" and "Yumao". After the reform and opening up, Xingmao Soy Sauce Factory resumed independent operation and became the only genuine time-honored brand in Huai'an District that has been in continuous production and operation. Xingmao soy sauce brewing techniques carry the changes in Huai'an's history and culture for a hundred years and have a certain historical reference value. At the same time, because its process is to steam whole soybeans, expose them to the sun and dew for a long period of time, and the extraction method is significantly different from other brewing processes. This traditional brewing process is also a carrier for the inheritance and development of food culture.