Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce

Review

Wuan Chuang is one of Xiluo's most iconic soy sauce makers. According to the Commercial Times, it was founded in 1909, grew out of the Zhuang Yi Cheng sauce works, and has passed through four generations over more than a century. Its renovated old factory on Yanping Old Street is now a free-entry heritage factory with a shop, guided tours and workshops, making it a must-stop on Xiluo's old street.

The brand uses non-GMO black beans as its main ingredient and ferments them under the sun the traditional way, with each batch taking about six to twelve months. The report notes a clear sweetness in the unsweetened sauce, and a blogger describes the bottle she took home as rich with a lingering sweet finish. Inside you can see displays on the brewing process and rows of jars in the drying yard, and the upper floor preserves the family's old living quarters, ideal for retro photos.

Visitors generally find the staff friendly and never pushy, the old buildings and jar yard photogenic, and the workshop a good hands-on introduction to fermented black beans. Some find the sauce strong with a heavy aftertaste, so it comes down to taste, and foreign visitors note there is little English signage. Weekdays are quieter; the old street gets busy at weekends.

It opens from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with tours roughly between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.; phone ahead to book. A blogger reports the jar workshop costs NT$300 per person, takes about 40 minutes and needs around 180 days before opening, though prices vary between sources, so confirm when booking. There is no car park on site and street parking is hard, so park further away and walk.

It suits travellers looking for an edible souvenir, anyone curious about traditional brewing, and families. Taste several black bean sauces in the shop before buying, book a tour or workshop if you have time, then walk Yanping Old Street for rice pudding and tofu pudding to make a half-day of it.