Commencement of the Chinese Ancient Liquor Festival Cultural Activity, a Decade of Cycles Blazes the Path of the Chinese Liquor Cultural Renaissance

LUZHOU, China, Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 27, on the verge of the Chinese lunar calendar's "second day of the second month, rise of the dragon's head," the Chinese baijiu circle's event of the year - Luzhou Laojiao 2017 Guojiao 1573 Seal and Cellar Ceremony, welcomed its grand commencement in the city of Luzhou.

Luzhou Laojiao is one of China's oldest and most renowned baijiu producers and has always preserved the tradition of paying tribute to the heaven and earth, and paying respect to ancestors on the Chinese lunar calendar's "second day of the second month". This custom eventually transformed into Luzhou Laojiao's annual event, commonly referred to as "Seal and Cellar Ceremony," and this year marks the tenth anniversary since Luzhou Laojiao pioneered the first of such Seal and Cellar Ceremony back in 2008.

Inheriting Ancestral Wisdom, Paying Tribute to Ancestors

Paying Tribute to Ancestors and Society, Matters of National Significance

The tradition of ceremonial offering in China has had historical and cultural accumulation of over 5,000 years. Liquor distillation embodies the technical essences crystallized in the process of labor and production of the ancestors, and is the natural product of farming culture. Using liquor as a form of tribute to ancestor has become the main medium through which Chinese traditional heritage relies on for its inheritance and future extension. Thus, the mysterious and stately ceremony is both a festival for the common folks and a symbol of Chinese farming culture. People inject the wishes for national peace and bountiful harvest into their sentiments, and the ancient and solemn agricultural ceremony was held in devoted fashion one generation after another, turning this ritualistic scene and custom into a vital method of expression of farming culture. 

At this edition of the Seal and Cellar Ceremony, Luzhou Laojiao again presented to the world a grand tribute and celebration that exemplified the essences of baijiu culture. The event incorporated the three major ceremonies of paying tribute to the ancestors of Guojiao, sealing and cellaring of the spring batch of Guojiao 1573, and launch ceremony of the Prosperous Golden Rooster - 2017 Guojiao 1573 Spring Release special edition. Furthermore, the event proceeded through a series of activities based on the traditional Chinese calendar including showing appreciation and praying for fortune, cleaning hands and displaying sincerity, burning incense and calming the heart, welcoming the arrival of ancestors, chanting ceremonial scriptures, offering incense and praying ancestors, using achievements to pay respect to ancestors, reciting lessons and trainings of ancestors, and worshipping ceremony, which together represents Luzhou Laojiao's heart of respect and awe for the Chinese way of liquor and perseverance in the spirit of liquor distillation heritage.

Guojiao Spring Release, Showcase of Sealing and Cellaring

There is a saying in China that "good liquor knows the right season, batches released in spring are valued like gold," while common folks have a similar ideology of "second day of the second month, rise of the dragon's head; burn the first incense at temples, drink spring liquor". Throughout Chinese history, the natural cycle of liquor distillation follows the path of "harvesting in autumn, cellaring in winter, releasing in spring," and thus liquor batches released in spring are not only distinguished for outstanding sensation but also treasured due to limited quantity, deriving the recognition that "liquor of spring, softness of jade, value of gold".

As one of the highlights of the past editions of the Guojiao 1573 Seal and Cellar Ceremony, the releasing, sealing and cellaring of spring batches has always been a point of great interest. After the end of the tribute and worship processes of the event, the year's Guojiao 1573 spring batches were officially unveiled, which were then jointly appreciated and savored by specially invited liquor ceremonial masters and almost 2,000 on-scene audiences. After the tasting session, the spring release is escorted by master distillers for sealing and cellaring in Longquan Cave, and jars after jars of springtime elixir would then embrace the blessing of time in Luzhou Laojiao's natural cave cellars.

As the finale of the grand gala, the Prosperous Golden Rooster - 2017 Guojiao 1573 Spring Release was officially launched. Ji, the Chinese word for rooster, shares the same pronunciation as fortune and luck, and thus this special release is a symbol for prosperous and auspicious wishes in the new year. As an exclusive edition launched at each year's Seal and Cellar Ceremony, the Guojiao 1573 Spring Release Chinese Zodiac Commemorative Editions have been much sought after by consumers and connoisseurs since inception back in 2015 for their low availability and one-of-a-kind commemorative value. The preciously limited circulation in the market has contributed to the extremely high value for collection.

Ten, a number that in traditional Chinese culture propitiously denotes the coming to full circle. Within ten years, the Seal and Cellar Ceremony went from nothing to everything, from its first creation to an industry benchmark, the decade was like a cycle that reflects the renaissance in traditional Chinese baijiu heritage and baijiu ceremonial customs. It is also a vivid illustration of the "distillation between heaven and earth, sharing and coexistence in the human realm" corporate culture of Luzhou Laojiao, and a trailblazer at the forefront of the path of renaissance of Chinese liquor culture.

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