In the global landscape of 2026, a notable cultural shift—“Becoming Chinese”—is taking hold. It is not merely about Hanfu or Chinese cuisine, but a deeper turn toward Eastern systemic thinking, from the rhythmic philosophy of agrarian civilization to the aesthetics of harmony between heaven and humanity. Against this backdrop, Chinese liquor must transcend its role as a mere intoxicating beverage and reclaim its position as a vessel of virtue—a liquid civilization that conveys China’s ethical principles, cosmological views, and technological wisdom. Whereas the industrial age emphasised stimulation and numbing, the post-modern logic of Chinese liquor should emphasise connection and coexistence. With the 15th Five-Year Plan elevating brewing to a “historic classic industry” and promoting quality upgrading, Chinese liquor now has a prime window to evolve from “Made in China” to “Chinese culture exported.”

The recent national policy shift—from viewing the liquor industry as a revenue source subject to restrictions to recognising it as a classic heritage industry—entrusts Chinese liquor with three critical missions: as a binder for rural revitalisation (supporting agriculture through grain cultivation), as a leader in consumption upgrading (shifting from “selling liquor” to “selling a lifestyle” of mindful enjoyment), and as a carrier of cultural confidence. In comparing East and West, Western liquor logic leans toward precision—terroir grades, cask ageing numbers—while Chinese liquor embraces a systemic, holistic logic. As one scholar puts it, liquor contains the “Dao De Jing.” Its fermentation uses open inoculation, gathering myriad microbes from heaven and earth, and its drinking scenarios are about conviviality and ritual order. In the “Becoming Chinese” wave, younger generations globally, weary of Western materialism, seek Eastern spiritual inwardness. Thus, Chinese liquor should export not alcohol content, but the ethics of harmony in diversity and the worldview of following nature’s way.

This Daoist orthodoxy is rooted in millennia of agrarian wisdom. The brewing calendar—making qu (fermentation starter) at Duanwu, adding grain at Chongyang—pays homage to solar terms, embodying the classic saying: “Rituals align with heavenly seasons and earthly resources.” Chinese liquor is a living agricultural calendar. Its social role is to restore order through ritual (li) in the digital age—advocating respectful, moderate drinking and discarding coercive toasting. Moreover, the traditional view of liquor as “the chief of a hundred medicines” reflects an agrarian people’s pursuit of bodily harmony and well-being.

To fulfil this role, liquor enterprises should focus on three areas. First, as guardians of living cultural heritage, they should transform breweries into experiential “heritage sites” that tell the micro-history of China, as outlined in the 15th Five-Year cultural development guidelines. Second, as proposers of modern lifestyle aesthetics, they should develop low-alcohol, trendy “light-drinking” products for Gen Z—not as imitations of Western pre-mixed drinks, but as revivals of traditional fruit wines, rice wines, and jiuniang—and shift marketing from channel dominance to scene-based engagement (music festivals, campsites, museums). Third, as definers of international standards and discourse, they must assert Chinese origin standards, vintage authenticity, and sensory evaluation systems, just as France promotes AOC. Currently, baijiu accounts for only 2.5% of global spirits exports; yet its food-pairing versatility—from braised pork to seafood, hotpot to sushi—far surpasses that of single malts or brandy.

At the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, we toast both the past and the world. In the grand narrative of “Becoming Chinese,” Chinese liquor must neither be absent nor silent. It should serve as agrarian civilization’s gift to modern industrial society—a binder that restores ritual and warmth in fast-paced lives. Only when the industry clearly articulates its bond with the Yellow River civilization, its ethical value of ritual, and its philosophical depth, can this cup of Chinese liquor truly enchant the world. Let us no longer be mere traders, but defenders and communicators of Chinese culture—so that the world may taste, through this aroma, China’s profound understanding of harmony, moderation, order, and the unity of heaven and humanity.