National People's Congress Deputy Gu Xiangyue: Promote the standardization of base liquor evaluation, "age" management data, and solve the problem of aging wine authentication

From the active inheritance of traditional brewing techniques to innovative applications of digital intelligence, from improving domestic industry digital standards to expanding into international markets, the brewing industry, as a traditional specialty industry, is at a critical point of transitioning from scale development to high-quality growth.

By October 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will include brewing as a core category of “Historical Classic Industries,” injecting new momentum into industry development. However, the current Baijiu industry still faces multiple challenges such as slowing growth, lagging channel transformation, and insufficient overseas competitiveness.

Gu Xiangyue, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and Chairman of Jinshiyuan Distillery, offers suggestions for promoting the high-quality development of the “Historical Classic Industry” of brewing. His proposals focus on protecting ancient techniques, accelerating digital transformation, establishing international standards, and strengthening quality supervision and brand protection, charting a path for the industry to achieve deep integration of heritage and innovation.

Preserving the Roots: Systematic Protection of Ancient Techniques to Safeguard the Core Values of Historical Classics

The core competitiveness of the brewing industry is rooted in centuries-old traditional techniques and cultural heritage, which also constitute its unique value as a “Historical Classic Industry.” Regarding current issues in cultural heritage protection and skill inheritance, Gu Xiangyue emphasizes the need to establish a national-level registry for alcohol cultural heritage, providing special repair funds for active cultural assets within the industry, and reinforcing the rarity and uniqueness of the “Historical Classics” in brewing. Additionally, a “Special Fund for the Protection of Ancient Brewing Techniques” should be set up to support intangible cultural heritage brewing methods, including skill documentation, tool restoration, and process reconstruction.

In talent cultivation, a dual-track system of “apprenticeship inheritance + university training” should be implemented, establishing brewing techniques majors in vocational colleges with employment support, to prevent skill gaps and strengthen industry heritage.

Furthermore, exploring and transforming the connotations and values of alcohol culture is equally vital. Gu suggests building a comprehensive cultural narrative system, supporting the development of alcohol culture IP matrices, and creating Chinese Baijiu historical brand classics; collaborating with cultural and tourism departments to develop alcohol cultural experience routes, achieving a deep integration of “culture + tourism”; establishing a national digital resource library for alcohol culture, utilizing VR/AR technology to create immersive cultural experiences, making traditional alcohol culture truly “come alive,” and promoting its integration with modern life to stimulate emotional value among consumers.

Infusing New Power: Accelerating Digital Transformation to Activate the Momentum of the Heritage Industry

In the era of digital economy, digital transformation is key to breaking through development bottlenecks and upgrading quality in traditional brewing industries. It is also crucial for solving pain points such as lack of unified standards for base liquor traceability and vintage identification. Digital transformation in brewing is not merely about adding new technologies but involves comprehensive digital upgrading across the entire chain from production to marketing, shifting from “experience-based brewing” to “scientific and intelligent brewing.”

Gu recommends establishing a special fund for the digital and intelligent transformation of the brewing industry, focusing on supporting enterprises to implement “smart brewing” projects. He also advocates accelerating the development of industry digital standards, standardizing data for base liquor evaluation, “age” management, and quality traceability, and building a full industry chain traceability platform. This will fundamentally address the industry’s pain point of difficult vintage identification and rebuild consumer trust.

On the market side, Gu suggests supporting enterprises in building digital marketing ecosystems, cultivating a young consumer base, breaking down data silos in channels, and achieving coordinated development of online and offline channels.

Moreover, digital transformation should be combined with technological and product innovation. Universities and research institutions should be encouraged to establish Baijiu health research institutes and quality research centers, conducting frontier studies on flavor compounds and health factors; promoting green and low-carbon innovations, energy-saving brewing technologies, and recycling processes; guiding enterprises to develop low-alcohol, health-oriented, and convenient products to meet modern, diverse consumer needs, allowing the heritage industry to rejuvenate with innovation.

Building Globally: Establishing International Standards to Enhance China’s Alcohol Discourse Power

The high-quality development of China’s brewing industry depends on strategic international market expansion. Currently, challenges such as low international recognition of Baijiu names, lack of standards, complex customs procedures, and cultural barriers hinder industry globalization. To overcome these, the primary task is to develop an internationally aligned Baijiu standard system, giving Chinese Baijiu a unified “identity” in the global market.

Gu suggests forming a national-level working group to promote international standards for Baijiu, pushing for China’s Baijiu to establish independent classification and standards within organizations like ISO and CAC, clarifying technical indicators and international terminology, and addressing the “lack of international standards” from a top-down perspective.

Additionally, negotiations with major trading countries should be strengthened to recognize standards mutually, promoting Baijiu from “special food” to “general food” management, simplifying customs procedures, and reducing tariffs to facilitate exports.

In market expansion, Gu proposes providing tax incentives and cross-border logistics subsidies to Baijiu exporters, supporting the use of cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses to expand exports, and cultivating globally influential Chinese liquor brands. Cultural and product exports should be advanced simultaneously, encouraging enterprises to establish cultural experience centers and localized marketing networks overseas, developing flavors suited to local tastes, and breaking cultural perception barriers.

Strengthening the Bottom Line: Enhancing Quality Supervision and Brand Protection to Optimize Industry Ecosystem

Quality is the lifeline of the industry, and branding reflects core competitiveness. Strengthening quality supervision and brand protection are vital for sustainable development of the “Historical Classic Industry.” Given ongoing issues like counterfeiting and false advertising, a comprehensive industry safeguard system must be established.

Gu recommends creating a cross-departmental coordination mechanism involving the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Commerce, and General Administration of Customs to jointly address standards, cultural protection, and market expansion, forming a synergistic development force. He also suggests increasing fiscal and financial support, including incorporating historical classic projects into special bonds, and encouraging financial institutions to develop intellectual property pledges and supply chain finance products to inject capital into the industry.

In core areas of quality supervision and brand protection, Gu emphasizes cracking down on counterfeit and false advertising, safeguarding the reputation of traditional brands and consumers’ rights.

A fair and orderly market environment relies on industry self-discipline and companies’ commitment to quality. The full industry chain of “Protection — Innovation — Integration — Going Global” can open new pathways for China’s brewing industry to advance toward high-quality development while inheriting its classics.

Writings by Lin Chen

Edited by Xu Nan