Table Of ContentChinese
National
Alcohols
BAIJIU AND HUANGJIU
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Chinese
National
Alcohols
B A I J I U A N D H U A N G J I U
BAOGUO SUN
Beijing Technology and Business University, China
TRANSLATED BY
JIHONG WU
Beijing Technology and Business University, China
LIANGLI (LUCY) YU
University of Maryland, USA
World Scientific
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This edition is jointly published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. and Chemical Industry
Press Co., Ltd.
CHINESE NATIONAL ALCOHOLS
Baijiu and Huangjiu
Copyright © 2021 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd.
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“9x6” b4155 Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu
Foreword
Standing out as a country with an ancient civilization in the oriental
world, China is also the origin of alcoholic drinks and the cradle of
alcoholic drink culture. It is well recognized that alcoholic drinks,
connected closely with our daily life, are important consumer goods
that satisfy both spiritual and material needs. Alcoholic drinks are
often linked tightly with the culture of the individual country and
region. Alcoholic drinks are critical components for human regional
culture, arts, etiquette, customs, life, philosophy and aesthetics.
Exclusive to China, Baijiu and Huangjiu are regarded as the
intangible cultural heritage of the Chinese nation and the most dis-
tinctive symbols of Chinese culture, and represent certain atmos-
pheres, feelings or states of mind. With the desire for a better quality
of life, the demand for better alcoholic drinks is increasing. However,
most ordinary Chinese people feel the limitation of their knowledge
about alcoholic drinks, and are eager to learn more. For instance, is
Baijiu blending illegal or not? What are the ‘Famous Eight’ Baijiu
brands that we usually talk about? What are the different flavor types
of Baijiu? To date, not too many people really have the knowledge of
Baijiu. The bias against Baijiu is common. How do we help consum-
ers know more about Chinese alcoholic drinks in such an era when
preaching is usually unacceptable?
v
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b4155 Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu “9x6”
vi Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu
Against the background of the Belt and Road Initiative and the
‘Walk Out’ strategy of Chinese culture, it is important to not only
inherit the skills and culture of Chinese alcoholic drinks but also
advance the research on modern alcoholic drink culture and its link
with Chinese culture, which helps international consumers under-
stand Chinese alcohol and its cultural background. The top priority is
to make sure that Chinese alcoholic drinks have their own unique
Chinese names with Chinese cultural symbol(s), and not a name of a
non-Chinese culture as in the past. For this purpose, Professor
Baoguo Sun proposed first that ‘Baijiu’, the Chinese Pinyin of
Chinese spirits, should be the general translation of Chinese spirits
internationally. This is a significant step in the perception of Chinese
alcoholic drinks worldwide.
To develop and expand the culture of Chinese alcoholic drinks,
we should include both tradition and innovation, both history and
the present, and both the present and the future. This book, under
the title of Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu, intro-
duces the concept, the brewing technique, the distinction of flavors,
the characteristics of flavor types and the historic stories of well-
known types of Baijiu and Huangjiu with illustrations and compre-
hensible but vivid language. Informative, interesting and readable,
this book helps general consumers understand Baijiu, corrects the
misinterpretation of some proper terms and promotes the culture of
Chinese alcoholic drinks. The authors of this book are experts in
researching and manufacturing Baijiu and Huangjiu, and the book
contains their latest research findings and thoughts.
The popularization of the knowledge of alcoholic drinks is an
important task of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA).
I hope that this book, apart from publicizing, spreading and develop-
ing the correct cognition of Chinese alcoholic drinks, could work as
a messenger who brings the culture of Chinese alcoholic drinks to the
whole world and a witness who helps Chinese alcoholic drinks
become a major player in the world spirits market.
Yancai Wang
Director of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association
19 November 2018
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“9x6” b4155 Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu
Preface
‘Drinking alcohol is a joy for the common while a courtesy for the
gentle.’ Since ancient times, alcohol has been used to worship
Heaven, gods, ancestors, and to mourn the dead because it is sacred.
Alcohol was a great tribute to present to the emperor in ancient times.
According to the tales, Di Yi made and presented alcohol to Da Yu,
the founder of the Xia Dynasty, the oldest Chinese Dynasty on record.
Today’s Gujinggong Baijiu comes from the story going back over
1800 years from the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Alcohol can be used
to treat illnesses based on the theories of traditional Chinese medicine
that ‘Alcohol is also medicine’ and ‘Alcohol is an introductory
medium added to enhance the efficacy of traditional Chinese medi-
cine’. Nowadays, alcohols are must-have drinks during celebrations,
banquets and daily life. The preparation of alcoholic drinks has devel-
oped for over 9000 years in China, which can be considered the ori-
gin of alcohol. The original alcohols in China were made from rice,
hawthorn berries, grapes, honey, etc. As time has gone by, Baijiu and
Huangjiu, exclusive in China, have become the mainstream drinks
among the alcoholic beverages in China. Only produced in China,
Baijiu and Huangjiu became the ‘National Alcohols’ of China because
of their long history and abundant cultural components. With a his-
tory over 7000 years long, Huangjiu is one of the three ancient
vii
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b4155 Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu “9x6”
viii Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu
alcoholic beverages in the world along with grape wine and beer.
Baijiu, one of the earliest distilled spirits, takes its place in the top six
distilled spirits in the world by enjoying a history of over 2000 years,
with the others being Whisky, Brandy, Vodka, Gin and Rum. During
Baijiu and Huangjiu processing, grains are the raw materials, whereas
Jiuqu is the sacchariferous and fermentative agent, which ensures that
they are rich in beneficial functional components and moderate drink-
ing does good to human health.
Although the culture of Chinese alcohols is rich and profound,
people know Baijiu and Huangjiu less than Whiskey, Brandy, Vodka
and red wine. There is still a long way to go in the pursuit of making
Baijiu and Huangjiu international alcoholic beverages, as the major
consumers are Chinese as of now. It is necessary to realize moderniza-
tion of production and market internationalization in the develop-
ment and expansion of Baijiu and Huangjiu. The popularization of
the knowledge about Baijiu and Huangjiu and the enhancement to
cultural confidence are in high demand.
In recent years, we have been advocating drinking the proper
amount of Chinese national alcohols, at the right time and using
good manners, and making an effort to spread the transliteration of
Baijiu and Huangjiu in foreign languages: The translation of Chinese
alcoholic drinks and Chinese yellow drinks (rice wine as it was called
in the past) should be ‘Baijiu’ and ‘Huangjiu’, respectively. The idea
that ‘both flavor- and health-oriented strategy is what we should insist
upon for future Baijiu and Huangjiu research and development’ has
been widely accepted by the public.
Written using our research findings, this book contains nine parts,
including concept, history, culture, celebrities, famous brands, etc., in
order to provide readers with a comprehensive and objective overview
of Chinese Baijiu and Huangjiu.
This book has been edited and prepared by a team of experts led
by Professor Baoguo Sun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of
Engineering and the President of Beijing Technology and Business
University (BTBU). The other experts involved in the book’s prepa-
ration are Dr. Jihong Wu, Miss Hehe Li, and Dr. Ning Zhang from
Key Laboratory of Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light
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“9x6” b4155 Chinese National Alcohols: Baijiu and Huangjiu
Preface ix
Industry (KLBMECLI) at BTBU, Professor Jian Mao at Jiangnan
University, and Professor Mingquan Huang, Dr. Xiaotao Sun, Dr.
Jinyuan Sun, and Professor Fuping Zheng from KLBMECLI at
BTBU. Due to the limitation of knowledge and information, omis-
sions and errors may exist in this book, and your comments and sug-
gestions are highly appreciated.
Baoguo Sun, PhD, Professor
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering,
President of BTBU, Director of Key Laboratory of
Brewing Molecular Engineering of China Light Industry,
Beijing, China
September 2018
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