Across China: Moutai ready to serve up top liqour-making talent

World
Europe

Getting drunk has long been a rite of passage for students around the world, and for those attending the recently-founded Maotai college it is likely to be easier than ever.

Kweichow Moutai, a distilled Chinese liquor produced in southwest China's Guizhou Province, is considered the country's national liquor and often served on official occasions such as state banquets, not to mention many dinner tables across the nation.

Kweichow Moutai, a distilled Chinese liquor. /VCG Photo

Moutai Group has invested 1.88 billion yuan (276.6 million US dollars) into the college since 2012, basically pouring 1 percent of its annual sales into the college for talent cultivation. The college is a private non-profit higher education institution.

Luo Sha, 19, applied to the Moutai. She said she chose her hometown college because she was nurtured by the liquor culture of Moutai from childhood. "Backed up by the renowned state-owned enterprise, the college is very attractive," Luo added.

The campus of Moutai c‍ollege. /VCG Photo

Feng Xiaolun, president of Moutai college believed the college can change the current shortage situation at the Moutai Group by cultivating liquor-making talent.

So far, the college has recruited 376 lecturers and professors. Meanwhile, Moutai Group will invite 39 senior professionals, such as national brew masters, national liquor tasting judges and senior wine-making engineers from the company to serve as working instructors at the college.

Moutai will initially offer only five majors: wine-making, viticulture and ecological engineering, food quality and safety, resource recycling sciences and marketing to the 600 students from Guizhou.

VCG Photo

It will start to enroll college students nationwide in 2018.

In 2016, the value of industrial output of China's white liquor industry surpassed 550 billion yuan nationwide, but the export volume was pretty scarce.

Feng said China needs more professionals to help domestic liquor products to go global.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

1631km