China Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine Group (CSYRWG) And Cheng International co-hosted this event, GuYueLongShan ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ Huangjiu UK Launch, on 7 December 2023 in London.
Speakers including CSYRWG Managing Director Dongliang Xu, CSYRWG Supervisory Board Chairman Wenlong Yang, Cheng International Managing Director Qiqi Chen, and IWSC Judge Marie Cheong-Thong attended the evening. Industry professionals, journalists from UK and China press and media, student union representatives, and social media influencers were among the guests of the evening. They all gathered together to witness the official launch of ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ into the UK mainstream wines and spirits market.
Through keynote speeches, they learned about Huangjiu’s historical significance, technical and commercial achievements, and most importantly its charming global ambition. The evening culminated in a high note with creative Huangjiu cocktails and a wonderful 3-course meal for Huangjiu pairing.
‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ is a premium Huangjiu, also named Guoniang 1959 (Cyan Jade) 20YO. It was conceptualised as a brilliant crossover between CSYRWG and China Oriental Performance Arts Group, named after a critically acclaimed poetic dance musical from the latter. Since its release in spring 2022, ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ has won over millions of domestic wine enthusiasts.
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2023 marked its continued success internationally, cementing its latest milestones in the UK.
In July, multiple products from GuYueLongShan won a magnitude of awards in the IWSC International Wine & Spirit Competition. Among these recognitions, ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ made history by obtaining both a gold medal and a trophy, the first of any Chinese Huangjiu ever to reach this achievement.
At this month’s launch event, IWSC judge Marie explained in great detail how ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ stood out from over 70 Huangjiu products from the ‘blind tasting’ judging process, further illustrating its uncanny accomplishment.
Displays at the launch event also highlighted the historical wins of 'Zhi Ci Qing Yu' at the 2023 IWSC competition.
During his welcome speech for the evening, CSYRWG Managing Director Xu Dongliang highlighted the fact that ‘this was the first time Huangjiu had been judged in a major international wines and spirits competition as a separate category. It illustrated Huangjiu’s growing recognition and popularity beyond China.’
In an interview before the launch event, CSYRWG Foreign Trades Company Managing Director Dong Hai also explained that ‘Gu Yue Long Shan’ chose London as the first stop of its European debut tour before Paris and Florence because of the amazing IWSC results.
Huangjiu is in fact no stranger to international acclaim. Managing Director Xu continued his welcome speech by walking the guests through Huangjiu’s over 7,000 years of history, highlighting its more recent feats in the past century, notably its participation in the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco and its inclusion in the 2021 EU-China Landmark Geographical Indications Agreement.
Xu further shared his vision of ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ as a catalyst for China-UK cultural collaborations on a bigger stage, and as a precursor to Huangjiu’s future global expeditions. He extended a warm invitation to all guests to come to Shaoxing, the home of GuYueLongShan, and to visit the 300-years-old Jian Hu Winery and the GuYueLongShan Central Warehouse with over 11 million containers of Huangjiu.
Guests listening to the welcome speeches and learning about GuYueLongShan.
CSYRWG Supervisory Board Chairman Wenlong Yang further elaborated on the distinctive qualities of ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ based on its geographical, cultural, technical, and wellness-related excellence.
Its 222 stages of production, 280 days production cycle, over 400 varieties of flavour substances, Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage status, and showstopping appearance during the Asian Games all left guests in awe.
While talking about the record-breaking GuYueLongShan Central Warehouse covering over 20 hectares of land, Chairman Yang said that if its over 11 million jars of Huangjiu were lined up, they could cover five times the distance between the north-most and south-most points of the UK. This comparison not only put a huge smile on every guest’s face, but also instilled a strong impression of GuYueLongShan’s industry-leading position in their heads.
Words aside, the visual brilliance of ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ and its oriental vibes were already enticing enough for anyone present at the launch event. Complemented by other porcelain drinking vessels and decorations, the display centred around the product’s striking beauty and instantly drew everyone’s mind to the wonderland of Song Dynasty painter Ximeng Wang’s masterpiece One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.
The design of ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ and the matching wine sets were inspired by the famous Longquan celadon from Zhejiang Province, also the hometown of One Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains and GuYueLongShan. The on-set display looked as if it had come directly from the painting to reality. The dancer figures were a further nod to the poetic dance musical Thousands of Miles of Mountains and Rivers, or ‘Zhi Ci Qing Lv’, that lent its name to the ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ product.
With all the introductory speeches and visual cues, the evening’s guests were eager to taste ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ in various ways. Upon entering the venue, they were greeted and impressed by three Huangjiu cocktails featuring ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’, mixed with elderflower, grapefruit and osmanthus, and lychee martini flavours respectively.
During her speech, IWSC judge Marie invited the guests to taste ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ neat in the way the IWSC judges did during the Huangjiu panel. By first looking at, then smelling, and finally wrapping the drink around their tongues before swallowing, the guests were able to fully mobilise all senses to appreciate the rich yet balanced aroma and flavours of ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’.
IWSC Judge Marie Cheong-Thong inviting guests to taste 'Zhi Ci Qing Yu' in a professional way.
Introducing traditional Chinese wines and spirits in creative and localised ways to the Western audience has always been at the heart of Cheng International’s business philosophy.
It is also in line with the aspiration of GuYueLongShan for its products to assimilate seamlessly into the UK mainstream and premiums markets. Following the cocktails, an exclusive dinner was finally served for guests to further experience ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu,’ with all three courses specifically selected to pair with the drink for maximum enjoyment.
‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ is fresh, vibrant, and balanced, with caramel, bitter gourd, almond, marmalade, dried fruits, and creamy notes. Based on these characteristics, Cheng International planned a 3-course dinner of lobster, butter poached halibut, and hazelnut chocolate Rocher to accompany this Huangjiu at Hotel Café Royal.
Food and wine pairing has been a popular tasting experience both in China and elsewhere in the world. By introducing ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ accompanied by ingredients and cooking methods common on a classic Western menu, these courses allowed guests to fully appreciate the beauty of a traditional Chinese wine. Such cross-cultural culinary juxtaposition proved to be truly inspired.
The guests even enjoyed a fun debate over which course went best with ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu,’ with supporters for each dish. That was the perfect testament to this product’s layered flavour notes and versatility.
During the event, CSYRWG Managing Director Xu Dongliang revealed that five GuYueLongShan Huangjiu products, including ‘Zhi Ci Qing Yu’ would be available at Harrods soon.
Cheng International Managing Director Qiqi Chen commented that this launch evening had been one of the most anticipated events for her team. They cherished such an amazing opportunity to introduce Huangjiu, one of the most ancient drinks in China, to the world in ways they believed to be unique.
With the support of industry and media partners, Cheng International was pleased to bring to life the most authentic and comprehensive Huangjiu experience, and to facilitate cultural exchange between the East and the West.
Cheng International Managing Director Qiqi Chen outlining future ambitions for GuYueLongShan in the UK.
Chen said, ‘Personally I cannot wait to see GuYueLongShan Huangjiu popping up in more British wine shops, bars, hotels and restaurants.’
