On 8 March 2026, Cheng International, representing Fenjiu International, presented a selection of Fenjiu expressions at the opening night of Time Capsule: The Films of Jia Zhangke, a much-anticipated London Retrospective. Drawing inspiration from Sichuan flavours, we also reimagined a Fenjiu cocktail, showcasing Fenjiu’s rich heritage and contemporary vitality.
The opening featured a screening of Ash Is Purest White, bringing Jia Zhangke’s distinctive storytelling to life at the Garden Cinema, a beloved independent venue.
Inside the cinema’s iconic Art Deco-style atrium, Cheng International joined forces with La La Tongue to reinterpret the classic Spicy Margarita, setting a lively tone for the evening. A range of popular Fenjiu expressions – including Qinghua Fenjiu, Fenjiu Red and Fenjiu 10YO – were also presented at our booth. Fenjiu’s rich character resonated with the cinema’s elegance, complementing the distinctive sense of time and place that defines Jia Zhangke’s films.
As one of the most important auteurs in the world, Jia Zhangke is known for his personal interpretation of realism, often inspired by and infused with elements from Shanxi, both his and Fenjiu’s home province. He has also previously directed short films for Fenjiu, reflecting a shared connection to their birthplace. Furthermore, in Ash Is Purest White, Bin invited his brothers to share a Baijiu blend containing Fenjiu, while the film itself was shot in Chongqing.
These layered connections made the encounter between Jia Zhangke, La La Tongue and Fenjiu in London all the more like a long overdue reunion.
It is safe to say that the retrospective and Fenjiu resonate with one another on a deeper cultural level, beyond their shared root. Therefore, Jia Zhangke’s proud storytelling of his hometown extended beyond the screen into a sensory experience, allowing the attending audiences to encounter the cultural imagination of “Jia Zhangke”, as well as the distinctive spirit embodied by Fenjiu, through an entirely new dimension.
At the screening, curator Millie Zhou and Professor Maurizio Marinelli, Professor (Teaching) of China and Global Prosperity at UCL, delivered opening remarks. Speaking from the perspective of both Chinese and global cinema, they reflected on Jia Zhangke’s position within contemporary film culture and offered insightful perspectives on Ash Is Purest White, setting an intellectual and humanistic tone for the retrospective.
Film enthusiasts who attended the screening represented a wide range of backgrounds: from students and art curators to film industry professionals and journalists. After tasting the Fenjiu Spicy Margarita, many expressed amazement at the cocktail’s inspired flavours, as well as their admiration for Cheng International’s innovative approach in reshaping baijiu culture through a contemporary lens.
Robert Postings, a journalist from Nouvelles d’Europe UK who previously lived in China, marvelled at the refreshingly charming presence of baijiu in the London cinema scene, and applauded how Cheng International championed Fenjiu through this meaningful crossover with the film industry.
