Moutai gaining fame beyond borders

Workers are packaging Moutai liquor at the company. Zhang Wei/China Daily

The company's front gate declares Moutai's status as the nation's most famous spirits. Provided to China Daily

Leading Chinese liquor brand Moutai was once again among the best-known names worldwide on lists compiled by authoritative brand evaluation agencies in recent months.

It was honored at least once every month from May to August.

The brand's growing position in global rankings signals that Moutai has been validated by the Western brand evaluation system, showing the rise of Chinese brands, critics said.

Storied past

Long before its fame extended beyond the borders of the nation, the brand had a strong foothold on its home turf.

The time-honored tradition of making the liquor can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), according to the Records of Great Historian, the magnum opus of historian Sima Qian. The story goes that the legendary Hanwu Emperor was impressed by the tasty liquor.

And in the Genealogy of Wu's Family, which was discovered in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), there are records of a liquor production workshop in Moutai village in Southwest China's Guizhou province that go back as far as 1,600 years ago, showing locals developed mature liquor-making expertise long ago.

When Moutai won a golden prize at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, it first rose to fame around the globe. Its brand influence has been so strong over the years that its logo is visible in photos of many important historical events.

One such event occurred during the Xi'an Incident in December 1936, a turning point in modern Chinese history. Two generals, including Zhang Xueliang, led a mutiny in the hopes of pushing their leader Chiang Kai-shek to cooperate with the Communist Party of China and fight against the Japanese invasion.

When Zhou Enlai, a CPC leader, went to Xi'an for negotiations, General Zhang treated him to a bottle of Moutai.

Moutai was also served at a banquet during the Chongqing Negotiation, a critical meeting between Mao Zedong and Chiang, the leaders of the two parties, in the southwestern municipality, after the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937- 45).

When the Premier Zhou Enlai led a diplomatic delegation to the Geneva conference in 1954, he offered Moutai and the film Butterfly Lover as a gift to guests. From then on, Moutai has been known as national liquor.

Nowadays, Chinese leaders still like using Moutai to entertain guests from around the world.

President Xi Jinping toasted his US counterpart Barack Obama with Moutai during his state visit in early June, 2013.

"We're devoted to promoting traditional Chinese culture and building up Moutai into a business brand of cultural value," said Yuan Renguo, president of Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd.

Unique environment

Tucked away in the sleepy town of Moutai in Guizhou province, the manufacturing facility for the liquor has a unique environment.

The Chishui River that runs through the town originates from neighboring Yunnan province. Because there are no major sources of pollution, such as hydropower stations upriver or over-development, the river remains untainted.

At the same time, the water quality meets the national standards of high-quality drinking water, with appropriate pH and hardness level and mineral content, making the river a perfect water source for making Moutai liquor.

There is an annual phenomenon that causes the river to turn reddish-brown from silt that collects during the rainy season, which lasts roughly from the Dragon Boat Festival in summer to Double Ninth Day in autumn. After this season, the water remains clear for the rest of the year.

Moutai's procedures are in tune with this seasonal rhythm - water is collected on the Double Ninth Day to moisten the sorghum from which the liquor is made.

Also, the company's facilities are located in a valley that is conducive to growing a rich variety of microorganisms.

The microorganisms, which assist in the open fermentation process, are crucial to Moutai's quality, experts said.

Topography is another contributor to Moutai's success.

The soil in the town, rich in minerals, also contains gravel and sand, enabling better water permeability.

This type of soil creates a natural filtration system that purifies the water while adding trace elements of healthy minerals.

Such a rare type of soil plays a vital role in giving Moutai the quality for which it is know, industry observers said.

"The topography is a gift from nature to Moutai," according to the company.

The unique environment endows the liquor brand with qualities that cannot be replicated.

After the government called on the company to increase production of the branded liquor, a new factory was built at a different locale in the 1970s. Despite using same recipe, raw materials and production procedures as well as the same workers and technicians, the new factory failed to reproduce the original Moutai flavor.

The ties between the product and its geographical origin enabled Moutai to become the first liquor to join the ranks of the geographical indication protected in China in 2001.