{"id":309,"date":"2023-10-24T03:58:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink-back-on-the-drinks-list\/"},"modified":"2024-07-08T19:08:42","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T11:08:42","slug":"putting-chinas-potent-national-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting China&#8217;s Potent National Drink Back On The Drinks List"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>China&#8217;s <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"inside_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/tag\/national-drink\/\" title=\"View all posts in national drink\" >national drink<\/a>, baijiu, is a clear, potent spirit that can range anywhere between 40-70 per cent in alcohol content.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>China&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/jobs?regionType=european\">national drink<\/a>, baijiu, is a clear, potent spirit that can range anywhere between 40-70 per cent in alcohol content.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FvOrnK_JC4BzQiMzRI3v4xAY38BL?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"11.jpeg\" width=\"250\" height=\"152.17391304347825\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#Photo_vjshi\" title=\"Photo:vjshi\">Photo:vjshi<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#After_a_hard_days_work_Meng_Bao_Chun_and_his_mates_come_to_unwind_with_a_drink_or_two_of_baijiu_Photo_Brant_Cumming\" title=\"After a hard days work Meng Bao Chun and his mates come to unwind with a drink or two of baijiu. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming\">After a hard days work Meng Bao Chun and his mates come to unwind with a drink or two of baijiu. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#Traditionally_baijiu_has_been_used_to_mark_key_rituals_and_life_events_to_build_relationships_and_show_respect_Photo_Brant_Cumming\" title=\"Traditionally baijiu has been used to mark key rituals and life events, to build relationships and show respect.\u00a0\u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming\">Traditionally baijiu has been used to mark key rituals and life events, to build relationships and show respect.\u00a0\u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#Photo_jingdw\" title=\"Photo:jingdw\">Photo:jingdw<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#Owner_for_the_Capital_Spirits_Photo_yoopay\" title=\"Owner for the Capital Spirits Photo:yoopay\">Owner for the Capital Spirits Photo:yoopay<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#Snake_in_a_jar_in_the_Biajiu_Beijing_bar_Photo_Brant_Cumming\" title=\"Snake in a jar in the Biajiu Beijing bar. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming\">Snake in a jar in the Biajiu Beijing bar. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#Photo_dianping\" title=\"Photo:dianping\">Photo:dianping<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/putting-chinas-potent-national-drink\/#Last_year_more_than_five_billion_litres_were_sold_making_it_the_most_consumed_spirit_in_the_world_by_far_Photo_Brant_Cumming\" title=\"Last year more than five billion litres were sold, making it the most consumed spirit in the world by far. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming\">Last year more than five billion litres were sold, making it the most consumed spirit in the world by far. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_vjshi\"><\/span>Photo:vjshi<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Last year more than 5 billion litres were sold, making it the most consumed spirit in the world by far.<\/p>\n<p>But outside of China little is known about baijiu, and foreigners who have dared to taste it liken it to drinking cleaning agent or cheap perfume.<\/p>\n<p>Now efforts are underway to market and export the fiery drink to the world \u2014 but many say that it is a challenge too great.<\/p>\n<p>On the warm balmy evenings in Beijing, people flock to the <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/dictionary\/english\/outdoor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">outdoor<\/a> eating areas to enjoy barbequed meats and their drink of choice baijiu.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Ftp3lG4XV_PPqp3rGnGUD2fWfmg4?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"2.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"181.23938879456708\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_a_hard_days_work_Meng_Bao_Chun_and_his_mates_come_to_unwind_with_a_drink_or_two_of_baijiu_Photo_Brant_Cumming\"><\/span>After a hard days work Meng Bao Chun and his mates come to unwind with a drink or two of baijiu. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>After a hard day&#8217;s work Meng Bao Chun and his mates come to unwind with a drink or two.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Baijiu is good, it&#8217;s pure, it&#8217;s strong, it&#8217;s exciting and it improves friendships,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>He and his friends toast each other in round after round while eating grilled lamb skewers.<\/p>\n<p>But he said they have to be careful not to drink too much.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It can send you crazy and turn you into a beggar,&#8221; he laughs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FmVkT5qVYrt6SvHYpJrriwfbQIGk?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"3.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"181.23938879456708\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Traditionally_baijiu_has_been_used_to_mark_key_rituals_and_life_events_to_build_relationships_and_show_respect_Photo_Brant_Cumming\"><\/span>Traditionally baijiu has been used to mark key rituals and life events, to build relationships and show respect.\u00a0\u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<p>China&#8217;s drinking culture dates back 7,000 years BC, and baijiu came onto the scene about 1,000 years ago in the Song Dynasty.<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally it has been used to mark key rituals and life events, to build relationships and show respect.<\/p>\n<p>But China&#8217;s national drink is now under threat.<\/p>\n<p>Sales have been falling since Chinese President Xi Jinping started his campaign against lavish government spending and cut budgets for state banqueting.<\/p>\n<p>As well as that, the younger Chinese generation have begun to turn away from baijiu, developing Western tastes for wine and whiskey.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FpHZkac1wx15zpvJEKgNToMLVOmz?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"4.jpeg\" width=\"250\" height=\"143.4634974533107\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_jingdw\"><\/span>Photo:jingdw<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>But a Beijing based company called Capital Spirits wants to turn this around by selling baijiu to the world.\u00a0Baijiu &#8216;just as varied as any other spirit&#8217;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Ft2M3uD9FztbyFm7KgpEac61tA8E?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"5.jpeg\" width=\"250\" height=\"181.23938879456708\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Owner_for_the_Capital_Spirits_Photo_yoopay\"><\/span>Owner for the Capital Spirits Photo:yoopay<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<p>David Putney, one of the company&#8217;s owners, said the first misconception they have to break down to Western customers is that baijiu is a single type of spirit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are over 10,000 baijiu distilleries in China, so baijiu is as varied and has as many flavours as there are regions in China,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So the difference between one baijiu style and the next is just as different between vodka, Scotch and tequila.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr Putney said foreigners&#8217; experience of drinking baijiu was often at business or government functions and banquets.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They have to drink round after round quickly, so they don&#8217;t have time to appreciate it what it is,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/Fi1IZwId2KbTY_Qtfx8as590KG1t?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"6.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"181.23938879456708\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Snake_in_a_jar_in_the_Biajiu_Beijing_bar_Photo_Brant_Cumming\"><\/span>Snake in a jar in the Biajiu Beijing bar. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Capital Spirits has opened the first baijiu bar in Beijing with the aim of educating customers and giving them the time to appreciate and savour the taste.<\/p>\n<p>An American tourist at the bar, Lee James from Texas, said all he knew about baijiu was that it tasted like &#8220;rocket fuel&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>But after sampling five different types he described himself as a &#8220;convert&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The baijiu bar is also serving baijiu-based cocktails, and this is reintroducing the national drink to younger richer Chinese like 28-year-old Lei Yang.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t like drinking shots of baijiu like my Father did, it&#8217;s too strong \u2014 but the cocktails here are great,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FrtsIkeKWyfxhLQXRvuUY_eTnR5U?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"77.jpeg\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Photo_dianping\"><\/span>Photo:dianping<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Mr Putney said the bar was succeeding far beyond their expectations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We have converted well over 90 per cent of our patrons that come to our bar,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve served baijiu to thousands of people and the number of people that come here and say &#8216;I hate baijiu&#8217;, and leave saying &#8216;I never thought baijiu could be so varied and good&#8217; is outstanding.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He acknowledges there is a long way to go to make non-Chinese fall in love with the firewater-like liquor of baijiu.<\/p>\n<p>However Capital Spirits recently secured a deal with a large Chinese distillery to get a foothold in the American market.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FmcMgvhqHp-KuAoSEHICXH4ks6H6?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"8.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"181.23938879456708\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Last_year_more_than_five_billion_litres_were_sold_making_it_the_most_consumed_spirit_in_the_world_by_far_Photo_Brant_Cumming\"><\/span>Last year more than five billion litres were sold, making it the most consumed spirit in the world by far. \u00a0Photo:Brant Cumming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Back at the barbeque, more rounds of baijiu are downed and Feng Ling says China&#8217;s favoured drink is not going away anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The thousand-year-old tradition is here to stay,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.hiredchina.com\/FlXXlKXBxtykYAuKbjvAxKMwIbVH?imageView2\/0\/format\/webp\/q\/75\" alt=\"GIC QR.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"271.6468590831918\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"China&#8217;s national drink, baijiu, is a clear, potent spirit that can range anywhere between 40-70 per cent in alcohol content. China&#8217;s national drink, baijiu, is a clear, potent spirit that &#8230;","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[60,306,29,1154],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eat","tag-china","tag-hiredchina","tag-jobs","tag-national-drink"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12239,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions\/12239"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}