Zhang Liandong, chairman of the Yanghe Distillery, delivers a keynote speech at the Bonjour Brand Forum in Paris, France.

July is the busiest month for Yanghe Distillery, one of China's leading baijiu enterprises. Nestled on the bank of the Hongze Lake Wetlands of Suqian, East China's Jiangsu Province, the distillery is buzzing with excitement as craftsmen work their wonders with four-colored yeast. Meanwhile, on the other end of the earth in Cognac, France, another renowned wetland wine-producing region, the grape harvest is also in full swing. 

Headed by Zhang Liandong, chairman of the Yanghe Distillery, a Yanghe delegation paid a visit to France and Switzerland, bringing Yanghe's unique aroma to the Eiffel Tower and banks of the Seine River. Themed "Dreams Connecting the World," the trip made headlines in Europe and strengthened Yanghe's foothold in the international liquor sector.

Yanghe kicked off its European culture trip in Paris on July 3. Zhang and his entourage were invited to visit the headquarters of UNESCO and met with Yang Jin, China's ambassador to UNESCO. During the meeting between the two parties, Zhang introduced Yanghe's efforts and achievements in the protection, inheritance and development of intangible cultural heritage. They also had an in-depth discussion about the "application to make traditional Chinese baijiu-making techniques a world cultural heritage."

The internationalization of Chinese baijiu is essentially headed by culture. During the "two sessions" in 2023, Zhang proposed that the internationalization of Chinese baijiu is based on "culture, value and brand." Therefore, UNESCO is not only the first stop of Yanghe's "dream" journey to connect the world, but also a new starting point to promote exchanges between Chinese culture and world culture.

Zhang said that "intangible cultural heritage" is the bond of mutual learning among civilizations and the messenger of cultural exchanges. Like China's tea, which has been added to the world heritage list, the cultural heritage of Chinese baijiu has a glorious history, a prosperous present and a brighter future, and deserves a place on the list of world cultural heritage.

Zhang Liandong (left) introduces the baijiu production area in Suqian to foreign guests.

For a long time, Yanghe has attached great importance to the protection of cultural heritage, including setting up a specialized fund and launching a digital protection project. "Yanghe Underground Cellar" was granted status as a national key cultural relics protection unit. "Yanghe, Shuanggou old cellars and distillery workshops" have been selected as national industrial heritage sites. Yanghe has also stepped up research into baijiu-making techniques, establishing a talent echelon for inheriting them. Yanghe baijiu-making skills have become a national intangible cultural heritage. Yanghe is committed to creating a globally perceivable and recognized "value system" of Chinese baijiu culture, promoting Chinese baijiu overseas, and assisting in adding Chinese baijiu-making skills to the world intangible heritage list.

Suqian, a city adjoining three rivers, two lakes and one wetland, is known as the Capital of Baijiu in China. 

On July 4, the French leg of the photography exhibition named Capital of Baijiu was held in Paris. The exhibition showcased the glamor of Yanghe distillery and Suqian through 50 wonderful pictures divided into four categories: City, Technology, Inheritance and Wetlands. It opened a window for the French to taste the beauty of Chinese baijiu and gain a better understanding of the profound heritage of Chinese culture.

"It's Yanghe's vision to establish Chinese baijiu on the international stage. With the help of this exhibition in Paris, Yanghe has once again demonstrated to the world that Chinese baijiu is confident, open and inclusive.

On July 5, Zhang delivered a keynote speech about "Chinese brands contributing to a better world" at the Bonjour Brand Forum held at the Eiffel Tower. 

"Chinese brands are in a great era of imagination," Zhang said. This stems from Chinese society's advocacy of a "beautiful life." 

Zhang Liandong (second from right) receives a painting from Jean-Michel Framery

Taking Chinese baijiu as an example, although it appears to be an ancient and traditional industry, we can see from today's Yanghe the "new five senses" presented by a modern baijiu industry. The new senses are technology, quality, fashion, culture and internationality.

Regarding technology, Yanghe built the first smart factory in the baijiu industry, using big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things to create a "zero-carbon supply chain" and realize smart and green making procedure. 

In the aspect of culture, Yanghe has been dedicated to conveying Chinese culture with Chinese flavor, and presenting Asian aesthetics with modern design.

From entering the ­European market for the first time in 2015 to gradually covering major European economies, and then setting up a European warehouse in the Netherlands, after years of hard work, Yanghe's overseas market has continued to expand. At present, Yanghe is in close cooperation with 12 European countries. During this trip to Europe, Yanghe also held a European distributors conference, where distributors from France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Hungary and other European countries discussed the development of their respective local markets.

With culture, Yanghe transcends barriers, spans time and space, and explores an "internationalization" development path of going out and bringing in. Yanghe shows the world a new image of Chinese brands, and establishes a Yanghe model full of traditional Chinese culture and Chinese wisdom. This European cultural trip to Paris is destined to become the starting point of a new era. Yanghe is accelerating its march toward the center of the world's liquor industry. Dreams connect the world!