A kneeling man lights a fire under a giant distillery and another man brings an empty jar to be filled. On the left alcohol is running into a smaller pot. The large reservoir is filled with cold water which condensed the alcoholic vapor during the boiling process of rice, grapes or barley. Alcoholic beverages were brewed in China since the earliest times. Dried residue on 9000 year old pottery shows that the Neolithic Chinese were already brewing some kind of beer. The deep-carved armorial shows a seated lion wearing a crown which is the family crest of Sir Kildare Dixon Borrowes (Baronet). The crest is flanked by a cat on the left and a duck or a goose on the right. The intricately fretted border is decorated with flowers, fruits and on the front two butterflies, symbols of a happy marriage. The counter dates from the Daoguang period (道光 1820 – 1850). Width 4.6 cm. Height 3.4 cm. Thickness 0.28 cm.