Renhuai in SW China's Guizhou boosts development of its baijiu industry

Photo shows Maotai town, Renhuai city, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

Renhuai, a city in southwest China's Guizhou Province, serves as the core production area for sauce-aroma baijiu worldwide and is known as "China's liquor capital." In recent years, Renhuai has promoted the multi-dimensional development of its baijiu industry by focusing on brewing techniques and the integration of baijiu culture with tourism.

To ensure sauce-aroma baijiu craftsmanship is passed down through generations, Renhuai has adopted multiple measures to preserve ancient brewing methods. At Jinghua Old Distillery in Maotai town, 35 old fermentation pits have been included in the national catalog of immovable cultural relics.

In August this year, Renhuai released China's first social organization-led intangible cultural heritage protection convention, coordinating stakeholders across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the industry chain to preserve customs of its sorghum harvest ceremony.

Photo shows baijiu production equipment of Guizhou Guotai Liquor Group Co., Ltd. in Renhuai city, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

Renhuai has advanced smart brewing through technology, driving transformation and upgrading across the sauce-aroma baijiu industry and leading to the rise of modern intelligent distilleries. In 2024, Renhuai achieved a total baijiu output value of 115.71 billion yuan (about $16.38 billion). The city has cultivated 133 liquor enterprises above designated size.

In October 2024, Guizhou Guotai Liquor Group Co., Ltd. put its next-generation intelligent brewing workshop into operation. Its intelligent production line covers the entire production cycle, achieving digitalized, standardized, and streamlined production. Compared with traditional workshops, this facility offers clear advantages in production efficiency, distilling capacity, labor intensity reduction, and environmental compliance.

Meanwhile, the deep integration of clean energy with traditional brewing techniques has become a key breakthrough in the production area's green transformation. More than 90 liquor enterprises in Renhuai have completed electric transformation for electric brewing, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 24,600 tonnes in 2024.

In recent years, Renhuai has advanced the integrated development of baijiu culture and tourism, launching new tourist attractions, 868 baijiu production enterprises, and 20 star-rated wineries, creating immersive destinations that combine vacation and leisure with brewing culture experiences.

Photo shows a display of baijiu culture of Jinghua Wine Industry Group Co., Ltd. in Renhuai city, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

Maotai town has welcomed a comprehensive liquor culture and tourism complex—Hengchang Distillery Winery. Its first phase covers 300 mu (20 hectares) and features functional areas including a traditional brewing zone, a museum, and a winery art center.

Renhuai has planned six boutique tourism routes covering the entire area, featuring red culture experiences and premium wineries. The city is working to establish a demonstration zone for integrated cultural and tourism development and a national 5A-level scenic area of Maotai ancient town.

From January to July 2025, Renhuai received nearly 6.5 million tourist visits, generating 7.93 billion yuan in comprehensive tourism revenue.

Photo shows the winery art center of Hengchang Distillery Winery, a comprehensive liquor culture and tourism complex, in Renhuai city, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)