In the distant past, there lived a wise and hardworking old farmer by the Jiuqu River, who possessed the skill of brewing peerless wine. Every time he opens the wine jar, the whole Mount Wuyi seems to be covered by a layer of mellow wine fragrance. The aroma spreads far and wide for three days and three nights, making people intoxicated. The villagers work hard in the fields, drinking this rice wine can help them forget their fatigue; Travelers travel long distances and drink this wine without feeling the bitterness of the thousand mile journey. Therefore, people respectfully call him “Tian Fu”, and his name, accompanied by the aroma of wine, spreads throughout the world.
At that time, the Eight Immortals traveled around the world, occasionally passing through the East China Sea and exploring famous mountains and rivers. One day, they were attracted by an unusual smell of wine, which originated from Mount Wuyi and amazed all the immortals. Tie Guai Li was the first to suffer, unable to suppress his thirst for fine wine. He smiled and said, “If you don’t taste this wine, you would be a member of the immortal family.” Therefore, the Eight Immortals disguised themselves as merchants and Taoists and went together to visit Tian Fu’s house by the Jiuqu River.
As usual, Tian Fu warmly welcomed these guests who had come from afar with his own fine wine. The Eight Immortals raised their glasses and drank together, all in admiration. Even those who had tasted all the delicacies of the immortal family and the human world had never tasted such a fragrant and sweet Wuyi rice wine. Since then, the Eight Immortals have been immersed in the scenery and fine wine of this place, especially Tie Guai Li, who has formed an inexplicable bond with Tian Fu. They visit every day, not only drinking heavily, but also bringing back several pots of fine wine.
One day, while drunk and his ears were hot, Tie Guai Li curiously asked Tian Fu about the secret of brewing wine. Tian father replied with a smile that the magic of this wine originates from the rice produced in the fertile land at the foot of Mount Wuyi Mountain, the clear and sweet water in the Jiuqu River, and the porcelain altar carefully fired by Yulin Kiln. Tie Guai Li Dawei exclaimed that this is the essence of heaven and earth, and forgot about the upcoming peach banquet in Yaochi. When the Seven Immortals arrived, the group hurriedly rushed to Yaochi, but they were already late. At the banquet, Tie Guai Li was disappointed when facing Yaochi Immortal Wine, and said frankly: “How can this wine match the rice wine of Mount Wuyi Tianfu’s family?” Just after the words were finished, the aroma of Mount Wuyi wine unexpectedly drifted across time and space to Yaochi, which attracted the admiration of all the immortals. Even the Queen Mother had some words about the wine making immortal.
Upon seeing this, Tie Guai Li proposed to bring the wine making immortal to Wuyi in person to purchase fine wine from Tian Fu. The Queen Mother agreed and the two immediately set off. Upon hearing the news, Tian Fu gladly gifted a jar of wine. On the way home, Tie Guai Li was eager to taste first, but he accidentally missed. The wine jar fell into Mount Wuyi, cracked and flowed into the rocks on the south bank of Wuqu, turned into a trickle, and flowed into Jiuqu Creek. The wine jar turned into a towering peak in Mount Wuyi, known as “Tianzhu Peak” or “Wine Jar Peak”, which witnessed this extraordinary fate.
Until now, the Jiuqu River still contains the fragrance of ancient rice wine. People named this place’s fine wine “Wuyi Flowing Fragrance” to commemorate that beautiful legend that has been passed down for thousands of years. Whenever I raise my glass and drink lightly, I still feel the richness and warmth that comes through time and space.
