An emerging form of cultural tourism is offering insights into the rich traditions of the Chinese liquor, attracting thousands of curious travelers to Guizhou Province in the country's southwest.
Distilled from fermented sorghum, baijiu is the most popular form of liquor in China, and the top of the top-shelf is Moutai-style baijiu, which originated in Maotai Town of Guizhou’s Renhuai City.
On the banks of the Chishui River in Renhuai City, a folk event took place on Friday, the Double Ninth Festival, to mark the start of a new round of Moutai-style liquor production.
Each year, Renhuai holds this special event to attract tourists eager to experience the region's liquor culture.
"I've always been fascinated by Moutai-style liquor, but seeing the production process and learning about the culture of Moutai-style liquor up close was truly breathtaking," said a visitor.
To further drive the integration of liquor and tourism, local distilleries are constantly innovating their processes while creating new experiences by opening their production facilities to the public.
"Our smart production workshops, digital wine cellars, intelligent packaging lines, products and exhibition halls are all open to the public. We've even developed an immersive experience where consumers can witness the brewing culture and production process of Moutai-style liquor firsthand," said Zhou Xinle, deputy general manager of Guotai Digital Smart Liquor Group.
During the National Day holiday, Maotai Town received 282,900 visitors, generating over 170 million yuan (more than 24 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, according to data from the Zunyi Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau.
Travelers pour into China's liquor capital to imbibe in Moutai culture
Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.
"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.
The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.
"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.
"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.
To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.
"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.
"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.
"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.
Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration
