Yǒngfēng

Yongfeng was a market settlement in the middle district of Xiangxiang County in central Hunan. Its inhabitants became known for a pungent chilli sauce, prepared by fermenting wheat, mixing it with peppers and leaving the mixture to mature in the sun. Local accounts trace the craft to the late Ming. Tea was another important crop in the surrounding countryside during the Qing, when households often grew bushes in their own gardens. In 1691 Yongfeng was among the places given a local postal station.