Museum for a national treasure

Culture, traditions

Beyond the historical artifacts and ancient records, there is much more on offer to visitors. The intimate culture and traditions that revolve around alcohol, all of which are delightfully displayed at the museum, are something that resonate within us all.

Drinking games, a staple activity for many during their formative and university years, might, one would think, be an invention confined to the last few centuries. But wherever alcohol has been around, so too have drinking games.

Set in a small, traditional outbuilding in a courtyard among the museum's many rooms, visitors can learn about xiang ball - throwing ball - the ancient equivalent of a dodgeball as a drinking game.

Adorning the courtyard and depicting a more recent history of baijiu are various bronze sculptures. Three depict Wang Bingquan, Lai Yongchu and Hua Wenqu, the original distilling masters and founders of independent distilleries in the town. The trio collectively attended the 1915 Panama Expo (which was actually held in San Francisco) when they won the gold medal after deliberately smashing open a bottle of Moutai to release the drink's distinct sauce fragrance and attract judges to their previously overlooked stall.

Another statue depicting wounded soldiers surrounding a large horse lends itself to the memory of the Red Army, which passed through the town in 1935 partway through the tortuous Long March and used the drink not only as a motivational boost, but as a useful remedy to a largely injured army.

Making its way a larger, more modern building, the museum tour progresses through more contemporary history of the much-loved national brand. Here in depth-visual representations depict events that helped the liquor transcend the to the god-like status it enjoys today, such as the Panama Expo and the many heads of state that have dined with the liquor over the years, including US president Richard Nixon and British prime minister John Major.

A whole section is dedicated to scale models and presentations of proposed future developments in Maotai town intended to put the beautiful mountainous area firmly on the tourism map.

The museum also sports a full-scale model of the entire town, allowing visitors to get a birds-eye view of the Moutai production and distribution networks.

Winding up at the end of the museum tour, it's difficult not to leave without having bought a few bottles of Moutai after gaining a deep appreciation of the drink and brand's astonishing heritage.