【Haichuan Chemical Site】The Zizhong Alcohol Factory, established in times of war

During the War of Resistance against Japan, the Japanese invaders blocked China’s coastal transportation routes and cut off the channels for importing gasoline, resulting in a severe shortage of gasoline in China and paralyzing road transportation. To address this issue, Chen Maochun, who graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Peking University in 1936 (born in 1911 in Zizhong, Sichuan; he had gone to Waseda University in Japan, as well as various sugar and alcohol factories in Tokyo and Taiwan for research purposes), together with his teacher Wei Yanshou (born in 1900 in Yinxian, Zhejiang; a professor at Central University, an expert in alcohol production, chief engineer for the Alcohol Industry at the National Resources Commission, a microbiologist and applied chemist in China, and a pioneer in the use of microorganisms in modern Chinese industry), retreated to Sichuan. There, they worked together as teachers and researchers to save the country through science and technology; by using molasses mixtures and fermentation distillation to remove water from baijiu, they successfully developed “anhydrous alcohol” that could be used as aircraft fuel. At the time, newspaper reviews called it: “A great achievement in the world!” ” 　　This scientific achievement received great attention from Guo Youshou, who was then the head of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education and was from Zizhong. He contacted He Beiheng, the head of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Construction, and together the Resource Committee of the Ministry of Economy and the Department of Construction allocated 100,000 yuan as funding for the research and development work. 　　As the war of resistance progressed and more coastal provinces and cities fell, in order to ensure an adequate supply of fuel to meet the urgent needs of the war, in 1939 the National Resources Commission invested in merging and reorganizing nine alcohol factories located in Sichuan, including those in Zizhong, Jianyang, Luzhou, Naxi, Neijiang, Chongqing, Beiquan, and Guanghan, as well as the Sichuan Alcohol Factory. The largest sugar-alcohol factory in Southwest China was established in Yinshan Town, Zizhong – the “Zichuan Alcohol Factory” – with the Zizhong Alcohol Factory serving as the head office, while branch factories were set up in Jianyang and Luzhou. Using equipment imported from Germany, and making full use of molasses and grains produced as by-products of sugar manufacturing, high-concentration alcohol and anhydrous fuel alcohol are produced. Alcohol with a concentration of 95% is intended for use in automobiles, while alcohol with a concentration of 99% is designed for use in aircraft. 　　To meet the needs of the war effort, Zizhong Alcohol Factory produced large quantities of military-grade fuel alcohol on a monthly basis using waste sugar syrup. In 1940, the total annual sales of industrial alcohol produced by the Zizhong Alcohol Factory amounted to 146,543 gallons, of which 90,910 gallons were supplied to various government agencies, accounting for over 60% of the total sales volume. The total annual sales of anhydrous alcohol were 96,955 gallons, of which 14,310 gallons were supplied to the Aviation Committee. At that time, over 400 workers at the Zizhong Alcohol Factory worked day and night, putting in extra hours to ensure quality and increase production; the daily output of alcohol reached as high as 4,000 gallons, which is equivalent to 14 tons. During the War of Resistance, over 40 million barrels of alcohol were produced (160 kilograms per barrel). 　　In 1940, the Zizhong Alcohol Factory began to \"use dead yeast in place of thallium sulfate\", thereby reducing production costs. “Regarding the yeast used by our factory this year, it was traditionally cultivated using thallium sulfate. However, due to the closure of the Yunnan-Burma route, the supply of thallium sulfate was interrupted. Our factory then replaced thallium sulfate with dead yeast, and since then things have been going quite well. This approach not only helps save foreign exchange and reduce costs but also increases alcohol production. ”

During the extremely difficult times of China’s war of resistance, many vehicles used for transportation in that war were fueled by alcohol produced in Neijiang, while airplanes were powered by anhydrous alcohol. At that time, alcohol production became an important pillar of Neijiang’s industry, and amid the context of the War of Resistance against Japan, alcohol turned into a vital strategic material for national defense. Before the War of Resistance, the domestic oil self-sufficiency rate was only 0.2% of the demand, relying heavily on imports. 　　After the outbreak of the War of Resistance, areas along the coast and other regions were occupied by the Japanese army, leading to a sharp decline in oil imports. In 1939, Nanning fell, and the Burma Road was blocked, disrupting international supply routes and making it even more difficult to obtain gasoline. \"It was impossible to rely solely on domestic sources of liquid fuel to maintain transportation and logistics during wartime.\" ”The Resources Committee “therefore advocates for the alcohol industry first.” Thus, the government **issued orders to implement the use of alcohol as a substitute for gasoline on a wide scale; both defense and civilian sectors began using alcohol as fuel for vehicles. As a result, demand increased significantly, allowing manufacturers to reap substantial profits. Both public and private entities set up alcohol production facilities, with the areas around Neijiang and Zizhong in Sichuan’s sugar-producing region being the most active in this regard. ” 　　Before the war of resistance against Japan, Sichuan had no alcohol factories. In September 1938, the Sichuan Provincial Government and the Resources Committee of the Ministry of Economy jointly established the Sichuan Alcohol Factory in Benmu Town; it was the first alcohol factory in the rear areas at that time. Its purpose was, first, to address the shortage of liquid fuel during the war of resistance, and second, to meet the needs of industry and medicine. Its goal was to develop industry in the rear areas and to supply materials for military use. ”In July 1939, the Military and Political Affairs Department established the First Alcohol Factory of the department at Baima Temple (now Baima Town, Shizhong District), which was the second alcohol factory. Subsequently, some alcohol factories from other provinces moved to Sichuan; for example, the Zizhong Alcohol Factory, which was originally a factory in Shaanxi Province, completed its relocation there by November 1939. Kawanae also established many alcohol factories for both public and private use. 　　A survey at the end of 1941 showed that there were 81 alcohol factories of various sizes across Sichuan, with 28 alone in the “Zizhong District (including Zizhong, Neijiang, Ziliujing, Fushun, and other areas). ”As of April 1943, there were 13 approved and registered alcohol factories in Neijiang County, including Sichuan Alcohol Factory, the First Alcohol Factory of the Military and Political Affairs Department, the Third Manufacturing Plant of the National Defense Power Alcohol Factory, Shufeng Alcohol Factory, Furen Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., the Alcohol Factory of China Sugar Refining Company, China Victory Alcohol Factory, Taichang Alcohol Factory, Xichuan Alcohol Factory, Zhongchuan Alcohol Factory, Yongcheng Alcohol Factory, Zhongxing Alcohol Factory, and Tongchang Alcohol Factory. In Zizhong County, there were 6 such factories: Zizhong Alcohol Factory, Fuxing Alcohol Factory, the branch of Fuxing Alcohol Factory (i.e., the Fuxing Alcohol Factory of the Tuojiang Company), Neijiang Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.’s Alcohol Factory, Lihé Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., and Tuojiang Chemical Factory. Previously, at its peak, Neijiang County had as many as 21 alcohol factories; in addition to those already mentioned, they included Tongchun Alcohol Factory, Jianhua Alcohol Factory, Shuchuan Alcohol Factory, Guanglun Alcohol Factory, Yumin Alcohol Factory, Maoshi Alcohol Factory, Yunzheng Alcohol Factory, and Jinghua Alcohol Factory. This represented one-quarter of the total number of alcohol factories in the entire province. These alcohol factories are mainly concentrated around Neijiang County town, as well as in Baimiaomiao and Bangmu Town. In addition, Weiyan County has the Xiehe Alcohol Factory; while Jianyang County, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Second Administrative Inspection Commissioner’s Office of Sichuan Province (Zizhong Special Administrative Office), has the Jianyang Alcohol Factory, Ziqiang Fire Liquor Factory, Jianhua Alcohol Factory, and others. The newspapers at the time commented on the establishment of so many alcohol factories in Neijiang as “a great achievement in the world!” ” 　　The alcohol factories in Neijiang mainly produce industrial alcohol and anhydrous alcohol. Power alcohol is used in cars. In the early days of the war of resistance, alcohol was generally used by mixing it in at 20% to 30% concentrations with gasoline; there was also use of a mixture of ether and alcohol, which was referred to as artificial gasoline or substitute gasoline. In the future, it will be even more difficult to obtain gasoline. Apart from using charcoal as a fuel, ordinary vehicles will directly use alcohol as fuel, without mixing in gasoline or anything else. In the spring of 1940, the transportation authorities ordered that ordinary commercial vehicles be converted into charcoal carriers in order to reduce alcohol consumption. Anhydrous alcohol (with an alcohol purity of over 99%) can be used as aircraft fuel. In September 1940, the Zizhong Alcohol Factory, at the request of the Aviation Committee, conducted experiments in Chengdu using anhydrous alcohol to blend it with airplane gasoline for engine use, and these experiments were successful. The Aviation Committee adopted and promoted this blending policy.

In 1948, Sichuan Province decided that the Zichuan Alcohol Factory under the National Resources Commission should, together with the Taiwan Sugar Company, invest in establishing a sugar factory in Yinshan Town, Zizhong. The mechanical equipment stored at the Dahu Sugar Factory in Miaoli, Taiwan, was disassembled and packed into around 1,000 boxes, which were then transported to the Zichuan Alcohol Factory so that a joint sugar factory could be set up; the factory was renamed the “Sichuan Sugar Factory”. By the time the equipment arrived in Zizhong, the Kuomintang was already facing total collapse; the factory had not yet started production, and Zizhong had already been liberated. 　　On December 1, 1949, the Sichuan Sugar Industry Company was established, and the Sichuan Sugar Factory was renamed the “Zizhong Sugar Factory”. In 1950, the **Ministry of Food Industry approved a plan to expand and modernize the factory in two stages: the pressing, cleaning, and power generation facilities were completed by winter 1951, allowing for partial operation to begin ； It was fully completed in September 1952, and sugar production began on a full scale, with a daily output of 250 tons of sugar. Thus, it became the first mechanized model sugar factory in the southwest. Its establishment provided successful experience for mechanized sugar production in Sichuan, laid a foundation for the development of the sugar industry, and opened a new chapter in the growth of Sichuan’s sugar industry. It is rightly known as the \"mother factory of the sugar industry\" and represents the most distinctive industrial heritage in Neijiang. 　　At that time, Wan Li, the then Deputy Minister of Industry in the Southwest, (who later became the Chairman of the NPC) accompanied Vyacheslav Kikin, the Deputy Minister of Industry sent by the Soviet Union, on an inspection tour. Kikin was very satisfied and pointed out that bagasse is an excellent material for papermaking and synthetic fibers; it’s a shame to burn it, as it should be turned into useful resources. The following year, Zhang Lan, who was the then **deputy director**, also came to the factory for an inspection. In 1954, the Zizhong Sugar Factory reached a production capacity of 500 tons of sugarcane processed per day. In the winter of 1957, a national demonstration meeting on sugarcane production was held in Jinzi Township and Mingxinsi Township of Yinshan Town, Zizhong. After visiting the site, relevant leaders at the central, provincial, and local levels gave it extremely high praise. By the end of 1958, a 20-ton boiler room and a paper-making workshop capable of producing 10 tons of paper per day using bagasse as raw material were built. It was the first enterprise in the province to use bagasse for the production of machine-made paper, and it adopted new technologies for microcomputer-controlled distillation of alcohol and sugar processing, thus becoming a key medium-sized enterprise in Sichuan’s light industry sector. In January 1959, Yinshan Sugar Factory built a papermaking workshop that used bagasse as raw material to produce 10 tons of paper per day, becoming the first in the entire Neijiang city to manufacture machine-made paper. Party and **leading comrades such as Peng Dehuai, He Long, Dong Biwu, Nie Rongzhen, Wu Yuzhang, etc. also visited the factory at various times, and delegations from Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Mali, and other countries have likewise come to visit the factory. 　　In 1973, it was renamed \"Sichuan Yinshan Sugar Factory\". The production facilities of this factory were divided into three units: one for sugar production, one for alcohol production, and one for paper manufacturing. Its main products were white sugar, alcohol, and machine-made paper. In 1982, the QC team in the sugar production department of this factory was awarded the title of Provincial Excellent Quality Management Team. The No. 2 offset paper produced in 1984 was awarded the title of High-Quality Product in Sichuan Province, and medical alcohol has also received this same title. By 1985, the factory’s daily sugarcane processing capacity had risen to 1,000 tons. It possessed fixed assets worth 18.38 million yuan, with a total industrial output value of 390 million yuan; it also generated tax revenues of 140 million yuan. The factory trained a large number of leaders and managers for the sugar industry in the southwest region, as well as over 600 engineering and technical experts, managers, and skilled workers. The total number of employees at the factory was 1,120.

　In 1996, due to adjustments in the industrial layout, Yinshan Sugar Factory declared bankruptcy. In 2002, Zizhong Yinshan Hongzhan Industrial Co., Ltd. was established. It is one of the 100 key backbone enterprises supported by Sichuan Province, one of the top 10 enterprises in Neijiang City, and the largest alcohol production enterprise in the southwestern region. The company produces 80,000 tons of alcohol per year, with an annual output value of hundreds of millions of yuan. 　　It is understood that under the leadership of its president Yang Cong, Yinshan Hongzhan Industrial Co., Ltd. is carrying forward the company’s traditional spirit of resistance during the war, as well as its spirit of innovation, hard work, and diligence in building the country. With a commitment to self-improvement and a willingness to pursue new opportunities, the company has managed to revive this old enterprise and give it a new look. In particular, the scale, output, and efficiency of enterprises keep doubling. It has now grown into a group company that produces alcohol, feed, and machinery, with 5 subsidiaries. It produces 1.2 million tons of alcohol annually, generating an output value of over 2 billion yuan; it ranks third among all alcohol producers in the country and first among private enterprises in this sector. Its products not only dominate the domestic market but have also been sold in international markets. 　　The factory building of the former Zizhong alcohol plant is a tangible testament to the history of the development of alcohol, sucrose, and machine-made paper in Sichuan and even the southwestern region, from manual workshops to mechanized production. It has now become an important historical site and representative building of Neijiang’s modern industry, and is one of the three outstanding industrial heritage sites in Neijiang (the other two being the Weiyuan Huangjinggou narrow-gauge train and the site of the Hongcun oil campaign). 　　In December 2010, it was designated as part of the sixth batch of county-level cultural relics protection sites by the People’s Government of Zizhong County; in December 2011, it was listed as a cultural relics protection site in Neijiang City. It is recommended that it be promptly designated as a Sichuan provincial-level cultural relic protection unit to facilitate its better preservation and utilization.

　Between 1938 and 1944, the total alcohol production in the areas under Nationalist control was, according to incomplete statistics, approximately 2.68 million, 8.12 million, 4.55 million, 5.40 million, 7.84 million, 7.45 million, and 7.54 million gallons respectively. Although the figures for 1942 differ from those of other years, they still indicate a rapid increase in alcohol production. The Production Committee covered various alcohol factories (including those in Sichuan such as Sichuan, Zizhong, Jianyang, Luxian, and Beiquan alcohol factories); their production volumes from 1938 to 1944 were 7.2, 30, 67, 130, 240, 281, and 283 million gallons respectively. In March 1945, the Liquid Fuel Control Board ordered the 17 alcohol plants under the Resources Committee (including those that took over the alcohol factories of the Transportation Department) to produce 7.362 million gallons of alcohol throughout the year. The Resources Committee recorded a total production of 670,000 gallons from January to March, and decided that from April to December production should be set at 7.109 million gallons \"based on the actual production volumes of existing plants.\" 　　Of the alcohol under the control of the Liquid Fuel Management Committee, statistics from 1942 showed that over 80% of its total allocation was assigned to **units for** transportation; by the end of 1944, this figure rose to over 95% by the time of the victory in the war. In March 1944, the Liquid Fuel Control Board also requested the Zizhong Alcohol Factory to supply 5,000 gallons of anhydrous alcohol to the U.S. military. It fully demonstrates the importance of alcohol and the alcohol industry in military supplies. Sichuan accounts for over 60% of the total alcohol production, making it the main production base for alcohol. 　　According to Yang Gongsu’s 1943 report on the production of alcohol and the challenges faced in this industry, Sichuan’s alcohol production amountsed to 4 million gallons in 1940, 5 million gallons in 1941, 8 million gallons in 1942, and 7.2 million gallons in 1943. In February 1945, the Ta Kung Pao reported that the output of alcohol factories in Sichuan was “currently 1.4 million gallons per month, accounting for seven-tenths of the total alcohol production in the rear areas.” In 1944, the Resources Committee reported that alcohol produced by various alcohol factories in Sichuan was sold in a total of 2.47 million gallons, of which 2.33 million gallons were used for military purposes, accounting for 95% of the total. 　　In Sichuan’s alcohol industry and production volume, Neijiang is naturally a key focus. Based on the statistics of the monthly production quotas set for 19 alcohol factories in Neijiang and Zizhong counties, the annual total production capacity can reach 5.94 million gallons. Although the war increased the demand for alcohol, leading to a rise in production, the actual volume produced was insufficient due to issues such as raw material shortages, lack of funding, and inadequate equipment. Sichuan Alcohol Factory had a maximum annual production capacity of 690,000 gallons; the actual production volumes from 1939 to 1944 were 271,000, 273,000, 505,000, 569,000, 500,000, and 484,000 gallons respectively. Zizhong Alcohol Factory’s maximum annual production capacity was 696,000 gallons, with actual production volumes from 1940 to 1944 being 303,000, 476,000, 629,000, 644,000, and 562,000 gallons respectively. Jianyang Alcohol Factory had a maximum annual production capacity of 540,000 gallons, and its actual production volumes from 1942 to 1944 were 205,000, 438,000, and 418,000 gallons respectively. 　　According to statistics from the Resources Commission in 1945, during the three years from 1942 to 1944, the productivity of the alcohol factories in Sichuan, Zizhong, and Jianyang accounted for 54%, 88%, and 65% of the total production capacity, respectively. Nevertheless, in Neijiang, the total production of Sichuan Alcohol Factory and Zizhong Alcohol Factory reached 576,000, 981,000, 1,198,000, 1,144,000, and 1,045,000 gallons respectively from 1940 to 1944, accounting for 86%, 75%, 49.9%, 40.7%, and 36.9% of the total production of all alcohol factories under the Resources Commission during the same period. In 1940, the Zizhong Alcohol Factory’s total annual sales of industrial alcohol amounted to 146,543 gallons; of this amount, 90,910 gallons were supplied to various government agencies, accounting for over 60 percent of the total sales. ”The total annual sales of anhydrous alcohol were “9,695,500 gallons”, with “14,310 gallons” supplied to the Aviation Committee. The main customer was the Transportation Department of the War and Administration Ministry, accounting for 790,420 gallons, which represented nearly 85 percent of the total sales volume. ”This shows Sichuan’s dominant role in alcohol production during the War of Resistance against Japan, as well as the important contribution made by the Neijiang alcohol industry.