134 CHEMICAL INDUSTRY IN KWANGTUNG PROVINCE 



(I). That which is typically Chinese, and uses old and 

 crude methods of making articles. 



(II). That which is copied from foreign countries, and 

 uses foreign machinery and methods. 



Owing to the difficulty of getting capital the foreign 

 chemical industry in Kwangtung is not very progressive. So 

 in Kwangtung we can only find factories which make cement, 

 glass, soap, matches, leather, paper, and perfumes. 



In this paper I want to take up only the Chemical In- 

 dustry in this province which . is typically Chinese. This 

 native industry includes the pottery industry of Shek Wan 

 ;g $f, the manufacture of peanut oil, wine, vinegar, vermilion, 

 red lead, bricks, lime, Chinese wood oil, fire-crackers and 

 China ware. 



The methods used are rather simple and crude which 

 have been handed down from one generation to another and 

 are used again and again with little improvement. 



Manufacture of Rice Wine. — It is said that wine was 

 first used in China 2000 B.C.' Rice wine is commonly used, 

 as it is the cheapest kind sold in the market. The chief con- 

 stituent of rice is starch, the fermentation of this gives 

 alcohol. 



The process of making rice wine is rather simple. The 

 starch in rice is to be fermented, and the alcohol obtained by 

 fermentation is evaporated, and the vapors are passed to a 

 condenser in which they are cooled and condensed. 



The rice has to be cooked in a large iron pan so that the 

 enzymes in the yeast can act more readily on it. After the 

 rice is cooked it is put on a large wooden table to cool to 

 room temperature, for the bacteria in yeast would be killed 

 at high temperature. Then the boiled rice is mixed with 

 powdered yeast and placed in large jars with water to cover 

 the rice. The jars are set aside in a dark cool place for 25 or 

 30 days, during this time the enzymes in the yeast slowly 

 change the starch to alcohol and carbon dioxide. 



They use the cheapest kind of coarse rice and it is found 

 that for every 100 catties of rice they have to use 24 catties 

 of yeast, yielding about 4 jars of rice wine. 



The maximum time allowed for fermentation is usually 

 four weeks or one month, and the wine makers find that the 

 longer they allow the fermentation to go on, the better will 

 the taste be. But if they allow the fermentation to go on 

 beyond 30 days they have to pay a tax to the government. 

 The time allowed for the fermentation of rice is too long, for 

 in America, only three days are allowed. When the fer- 

 mentation is complete, the alcohol in the fermented rice is 

 then distilled. Three jars of fermented rice are put in a large 



