The Second Oral Thick Paste Festival and Dong’e E-Jiao Cultural Festival
On Dec 22, 2010, the day of the Winter Solstice, the second Oral Thick Paste Festival and the Dong’e E-Jiao (Donkey-Hide Gelatin) Cultural Festival opened in Shandong Dong’e County. At the same time, the Dong’e E-Jiao national "dual brand" cooperation project was started. Through their performance at the opening ceremony, the artists showed the audience the charm of E-Jiao, the famous Chinese medicine. The ceremony reached a climax when it came to the process of adding water and lighting the fire of the production of the E-jiao.

Qin Yufeng, a representative of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Dong’e E-jiao, and the general manager of Shandong Dong-e E-Jiao Group performed the ceremony with veteran workers. Following the tradition of worshipping the King of Medicine, the representative waited by the well of E-jiao until 11 p.m. when he fetched water from the well and poured it in the golden caldron to make the E-jiao. After adding water, he lit the fire under the caldron with a torch. The refining process had begun. Meanwhile, the regristrars of Dong’e County notarized the process of E-jiao production.

Between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. of the first day of Winter Solstice, the yin comes to its prime and yang begins. During the period, the yin qi of the groundwater of Dong’e reaches its prime. At the same time, the important material of E-jiao, the skin of the black donkey, also has the most yin qi. The E-jiao made by the water and the skin of black donkey, which belong to yin, on the hot fire, which belongs to yang, on can achieve the extreme balance of yin and yang and have the most nourishing function on this day.

The Dong’e E-Jiao has a history of more than 2,500 years, and it has been used as a tribute to the emperor since the Han Dynasty. With its nourishing qualities, without any side effects, it ranks first among the “three tonics of Chinese medicine” (E-Jiao, ginseng and deer horn). The Compendium of Materia Medica praised it as effective medicine. It has the biggest effect of nourishing the yin for moistening dryness, nourishing the yin and blood, and prolonging life, which has won it a reputation as the “treasure of Chinese medicine”, “best medicine for women”, and “effective medicine of food therapy”. The jiuchaogongjiao (the tribute Gelatin for nine dynasties) is the one of the best E-Jiaos. Restoring the production of the Gelatin is helpful to the long-term success of traditional Chinese medicine, because it allows more people to experience the greatness of Chinese medicine.

Dong’e E-jiao is named after the Dong’e County of Shangdong province. It follows the nature and flavor and distribution of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and incorporates the philosophic thinking which suggests “among yin-yang and five elements, man is an integral part of nature”. It has born rich Chinese cultural connotations. That is the reason that Dong’e E-jiao is included on the first list of Chinese intangible cultural heritage.