2026中国杏花村国际酒业博览会开幕，清香吕梁与世界干杯

Approved by the Ministry of Commerce and included in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s 2026 “Foodie Season” Food Quality Improvement and Demand Expansion Plan, the 2026 China Xinghuacun International Liquor Expo (hereinafter referred to as the “Liquor Expo”) opened on August 29 at the China Xinghuacun International Liquor Trading Centre in Fenyang City, Luliang, Shanxi. Numerous experts, scholars, industry representatives, and elite professionals gathered in Xinghuacun to discuss industry development.

Regional Advancement: Full-Industry-Chain Revenue Exceeds RMB 70 Billion

Xiong Yizhi, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Luliang City, delivered a speech. (Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency)

“In today’s Luliang, we are firmly committed to the goal of building a world-class core production region for light-aroma baijiu,” said Xiong Yizhi in his address. “We adhere to a development path driven by leading enterprises, cluster-based symbiosis, digital empowerment, and cultural tourism integration, to build Xinghuacun into a liquor city and establish Luliang as a capital of spirits. At present, Luliang baijiu, represented by Fenjiu, has achieved full-industry-chain revenue exceeding RMB 70 billion. A glass of light-aroma Fenjiu is brewing a bright future for Luliang’s industrial transformation and development.”

Song Shuyu, Chairman of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association, delivered a speech. (Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency)

“The prosperity of the liquor industry is tied to the times; its flourishing comes from craftsmanship. Faced with change, what should the brewing industry do? The answer is clear: pass on techniques and carry forward classics; clarify the roots and uphold quality; infuse culture into liquor and renew scenarios; pursue harmony and mutual learning among civilisations; and celebrate life by telling vivid stories,” said Song Shuyu. “Let us take this Liquor Expo as a new starting point, grounding ourselves in clarity, infusing our spirit with poetry, and pursuing harmony to reach far. Let us brew Luliang’s fine liquors into a global fragrance and inscribe Chinese poetry into the long scroll of human civilisation.”

Wu Yuefei, Deputy Party Secretary, Vice Chairman, and General Manager of Fenjiu Group, delivered a speech. (Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency)

“As the strategic partner for this event, over the past decade Fenjiu has leveraged the Liquor Expo as a medium, building its reputation on quality, forging its soul through culture, opening paths through reform, and leading through innovation. It has successively crossed the RMB 10 billion, 20 billion, and 30 billion revenue thresholds, with steady market share growth, continuous brand image enhancement, and expanding international recognition,” said Wu Yuefei. “Fenjiu Group will focus on ‘true resonance, mutual achievement, and co-creating the future with consumers,’ striving to forge a path of upholding tradition while innovating – a path of high-quality development for a historic classic industry.”

Financial writer Wu Xiaobo delivered a keynote speech. (Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency)

In the keynote speech session, financial writer Wu Xiaobo shared his thoughts on the theme “The Cowherd Points to Xinghuacun from Afar.” “‘Raise a glass in celebration during joyous times, drown your sorrows in wine during difficult times’ – this consumption scenario has always existed. Influenced by traditional Chinese culture, as people age they naturally gravitate back to baijiu, and this trend will not change due to short-term market fluctuations,” he said.

Wu Xiaobo believes that the standard of a great liquor lies not in scale, profits, or degree of globalisation, but in “at life’s most memorable moments, who you are with and what you use to witness each other.” This standard points to the ultimate purpose of quality – to serve people’s emotional needs. At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping the industrial landscape, the irreplaceability of the baijiu industry lies precisely here.

As the only international liquor event in Shanxi Province, the Liquor Expo has been held in Luliang for multiple editions. After years of cultivation, the Expo’s appeal and influence have continued to grow, making it one of the largest international liquor expos in China.

Immersive Renewal: “Poetry and Liquor Conversation” and “V-Drunken Tavern” Dual Pathways to Broader Engagement

This year’s Liquor Expo not only continues its international, professional, and market-oriented characteristics but also debuts two new features: the “Poetry and Liquor Conversation” thematic dialogue and the “V-Drunken Tavern” immersive experience space.

“Poetry and Liquor Conversation” thematic dialogue. (Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency)

The “Poetry and Liquor Conversation” thematic dialogue session specially invited four renowned experts and scholars – Qian Wenzhong, Professor of History at Fudan University; financial writer Wu Xiaobo; Zhang Lei, Associate Professor at Beijing Film Academy; and He Chuhan, Council Member of the China Literary and Art Critics Association. From a contemporary perspective, they explored the cultural connotations of poetry and liquor within China’s outstanding traditional culture, engaging in dialogue on light-aroma culture and modern life. Their insights brought together wisdom for the innovative development of Luliang’s baijiu industry, endowing light-aroma baijiu with richer cultural depth.

The “V-Drunken Tavern” immersive experience space embodies the philosophy of “bringing mountains and rivers into the cup, with tipsiness just right.” The experience space is no longer confined to the exhibition halls but extends to key cultural tourism landmarks including Jixiang Lake in Luliang New City, Donggou in Lishi, and Qikou Ancient Town in Linxian.

It is understood that this year’s Liquor Expo has innovatively constructed an operational framework of “one exhibition + city-wide linkage + multiple consumption scenarios,” with a total exhibition area of 30,000 square metres, featuring purpose-built functional zones including the China Famous Liquor Hall, Luliang Producing Region Brand Hall, General Hall, Shanxi Comprehensive Hall, and Digital Exhibition Hall. Nearly 300 well-known domestic and international liquor enterprises, packaging materials suppliers, liquor equipment manufacturers, and premium specialty product companies are participating in the exhibition.

At the same time, this year’s Liquor Expo actively promotes the iterative upgrading of the baijiu industry, establishes regular production-sales matching channels, and deeply integrates diverse consumption scenarios including baijiu retail, comprehensive tourism, intangible cultural heritage experiences, specialty dining, and cultural and creative shopping. It coordinates a series of consumption-promoting activities such as new product debuts and launches, consumer-benefit promotions, and culture-tourism linkage experiences, continuously amplifying the exhibition’s radiating and driving effects, activating consumption vitality in accommodation, dining, commerce, cultural tourism, and other related industries, and supporting Luliang’s high-quality development.

Dialogue with the World: Mexico’s Pavilion Officially Opens

This year’s Liquor Expo invited Mexico as the guest country of honour. On August 29, the Mexico Pavilion was officially inaugurated, showcasing Mexico’s distinctive liquor brands and integrated wine-cultural tourism resources.

Santiago Toledo, Trade and Investment Counsellor of the Mexican Embassy in China; Sergio Cuateco, Director of the Embassy Office and Head of the Political Section of the Mexican Embassy in China; Víctor Cárdenas, Deputy Executive Chairman of the Mexican Chamber of Commerce in China; He Yong, Secretary-General of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association; Yan Lin, Standing Committee Member and Vice Mayor of Luliang City; Cui Xianfeng, Second-Level Inspector of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanxi Provincial Government; and Ren Wanwei, Standing Committee Member and Vice Mayor of Fenyang City, jointly took the stage to inaugurate the pavilion and witnessed this historic moment together with the audience.

Director Sergio Cuateco stated in his address that the Mexico Pavilion aims to invite visitors to discover Mexico through its natural landscapes, history, and especially its distilled spirits traditions. It also serves as a platform for interaction between producers, importers, distributors, and Chinese consumers interested in Mexico’s diverse liquor offerings. Although China and Mexico are separated by vast distances, they share an important commonality: a time-honoured distilled spirits culture. Wine is far more than an alcoholic beverage – it is also an expression of ritual, custom, hospitality, and cultural identity. China’s strategic importance in the international development of Mexican spirits is growing, and now is an opportune time to introduce more Chinese consumers to Mexican liquors, promote new commercial partnerships, and strengthen the ties between the two countries’ liquor industries.

Deputy Executive Chairman Víctor Cárdenas stated that China and Mexico maintain a strong and increasingly dynamic economic and trade relationship, with the beverage and liquor industry becoming an increasingly important part of this bilateral relationship. Chinese consumers are paying more attention to international brands, unique flavours, and products with authentic cultural stories, while Mexican companies are increasingly recognising China as a strategically important consumer market. This Liquor Expo provides an excellent platform for deepening mutual understanding and exploring new cooperation opportunities. The Mexican Chamber of Commerce in China will build a bridge connecting Mexico and China, linking enterprises, institutions, and cooperation opportunities together.

Vice Mayor Yan Lin extended a warm welcome to the distinguished Mexican guests who had travelled from afar. He stated that inviting Mexico as the guest country of honour for this Liquor Expo is a vivid practice of mutual exchange, mutual promotion, and economic and trade connectivity between Chinese and foreign liquor industries. The official opening of the Mexico Pavilion provides an efficient platform for liquor exhibition, technical exchange, and trade cooperation between the two regions, and opens up a new path for Luliang City to connect with the Latin American market and expand its opening-up. He expressed the hope that the Liquor Expo would serve as a bridge to deepen two-way exchange between the liquor industries of both regions, advance practical cooperation in areas such as production-sales matching, technology exchange, and joint brand building, and further expand cooperation in cultural tourism, commerce, industry, and other fields, allowing the fragrance of Fenjiu and the aroma of tequila to cross mountains and seas, contributing to the deepening of China-Mexico friendship.

“The beauty of fine wine lies in its terroir, customs, and historical accumulation,” said Secretary-General He Yong. “The establishment of the Mexico Pavilion allows Chinese consumers to experience the customs and traditions of the Aztec land up close.” The arrival of the Mexico Pavilion also opens a stage for dialogue about the future. He expressed the hope that this opening would serve as an opportunity to make the wine of cooperation even fuller and more rounded, transforming it into a nectar of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. He also noted that the Liquor Expo, as a world-class platform, is not only an exhibition of fine wines but also a convergence of ideas and a consolidation of consensus. The Mexico Pavilion builds a bridge connecting the liquor industry professionals of both countries, where exchange sparks wisdom and tasting deepens friendship.

This year’s Liquor Expo has a total exhibition area of 30,000 square metres, featuring purpose-built functional zones including the China Famous Liquor Hall, Luliang Producing Region Brand Hall, General Hall, Shanxi Comprehensive Hall, and Digital Exhibition Hall. Nearly 300 well-known domestic and international liquor enterprises, packaging materials suppliers, liquor equipment manufacturers, and premium specialty product companies are participating in the exhibition. The Liquor Expo runs from August 29 to 31 at the China Xinghuacun International Liquor Trading Centre in Fenyang City, Luliang, Shanxi. It will fully demonstrate Luliang’s unique regional advantages and industrial strengths, continuously enhancing the international visibility and industry influence of the “core production region for light-aroma baijiu.”