Event promotes Fenjiu brand's launch in Spain

Zhuyeqing, a white liquor brand owned by Shanxi's renowned distillery company Xinghuacun Fenjiu Group, was officially launched in the Spanish market, as the company hosted a dedicated promotional event in Spain's national capital of Madrid on Dec 18.

The event was held in cooperation with Huilong International Trading, the official dealer of Xinghuacun Fenjiu in Spain. More than 200 guests, including local business representatives, officials and overseas Chinese expatriates, attended the event. The event also featured the promotion of Fenjiu, another brand of the company that has already been in Spain for a couple of years.

Chen Hui, chairman of Huilong International Trading, said at the event that both Zhuyeqing and Fenjiu are the representative of Chinese white liquor- or baijiu- made with traditional techniques.

Bearing great historical and cultural significance, Chen said he believes these two baijiu varieties can offer a unique option for consumers in Spain.

When talking about the history of the baijiu products, Li Xiaolong, general manager of Huilong International Trading, said both Zhuyeqing and Fenjiu are the inheritors of a longstanding tradition of alcoholic beverage production in Xinghuacun township in the Shanxi city of Fenyang.

He explained that an archaeological discovery in the distillery company's premises in Xinghuacun township in 1983 has offered material evidence for the long history of China's alcoholic beverages, which might date back 6,000 years. "The dating proves that Xinghuacun might be the source of China's alcoholic beverage industry," Li said.

The first reference of Fenjiu – which literally means alcoholic beverage from Fenyang – can be found in correspondence between a North Qi Dynasty (550-577) emperor and one of his relatives, according to historical records.

Li added that the ancient techniques for making Xinghuacun Fenjiu's white liquor were included in China's national list of intangible cultural heritage items in 2006.

The company is also one of the pioneering white liquor companies in China to go global. After it won a first prize at the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, the United States, in 1915, Fenjiu-branded white liquor began to attract the attention of international buyers. Since then, Xinghuacun Fenjiu brands have become popular in overseas markets.

Xinghuacun Fenjiu is now among the top three exporters in China's white liquor industry. To date, its products have been sold to more than 80 countries and regions, through its dozens of overseas dealers and thousands of outlets in foreign countries.

Xu Songhua, a leader of the local Chinese expatriate community, was present at the event. He said that both Zhuyeqing and Fenjiu are examples of baijiu with rich cultural connotations.

"When we are here seeing the arrival of excellent Chinese baijiu varieties, we are also witnessing the exchange of cultures along with this commercial event," Xu said.