Grand opening of Shanxi vinegar store, in the Pudong new area of Shanghai, on April 13

Shanxi province's vinegar association has reported that its members have opened a total of 330 exclusive shops in other provinces, meaning they have nearly the entire country covered by now. So Shanxi mature vinegar is becoming more popular all across China.

Cao Wenjie, the head of the vinegar industry association, has explained that the increase in the number of exclusive shops in other provinces has helped develop the industry further, and that it has gone from 500,000 tons in 2009 to 710,000 now. And revenues from Shanxi mature vinegar hit a record 1.5 billion yuan, in 2012.

The Shanxi Vinegar (Industry) Development Co owns the largest number of those exclusive shops outside Shanxi, with 130, and it has plans to open 20 more. To some extent, we can say that these exclusive shops serve as a window on Shanxi culture.

Edited by Zhou Yuanyuan and Roger Bradshaw