"Huaxia Wine News" reporter Zhang Yuchen
Flying over 9,300 kilometers, Huijishan Lanting made a stunning appearance on the stage of Paris, becoming a unique symbol of Chinese culture and Chinese aesthetics to the world······
Recently, Le Cordon Bleu, the world's top catering school, held a grand Sino-French gastronomic cultural exchange event in Paris, France, bringing together more than 60 government officials, artists, gastronomic experts and media representatives from China and France. It is worth noting that at the event site of "Chinese Catering World Expression 2024 Meet in Paris", Zu Kang, the Chinese brewing master and chief brewer of Huijishan Shaoxing Liquor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Huijishan), was invited to attend and brought the rice wine of Huijishan Lanting to make a stunning appearance.
It can be said that the appearance of this cup of rice wine transcends the boundaries of food and sublimates into a cultural dialogue through time and space. It vividly interprets the connotation and charm of Chinese rice wine as an important carrier of Chinese food culture, and conveys China's thousand-year-old winemaking wisdom and the philosophy of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
In this regard, some industry insiders said that on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, on the occasion of the Paris Olympic Games, Huijishan Lanting, as a key symbol to show the unique charm of Chinese food culture, spans 9,300 kilometers from Shaoxing to Paris, and conveys to the world the Chinese culture and Chinese aesthetics behind it through a grand event that connects Eastern and Western food civilizations.
Rice wine paired with Chinese food is the best way to show Chinese culture to the world
Andre Cointreau, president of Le Cordon Bleu, once said in an interview with the media: "Where there is culture, there is food. The reason why China and France are great gastronomic countries is because of their prosperous and dynamic civilizations. ”
Indeed, whether it is rice and noodles in the East, or bread and steak in the West, there is a deep history and culture behind each food. When we taste a dish, we are actually experiencing a history, a culture, a way of life.
In fact, the same is true for rice wine.
"Millennial rice wine culture, a piece of Chinese history", as the world's three major brewed wines, rice wine plays a pivotal role in Chinese history. From ancient rituals and banquets to modern tables, rice wine has always been an indispensable part of Chinese life. It is not only a drink, but also a carrier of culture, conveying the emotions, etiquette and customs of the Chinese.
In today's globalization, how can Chinese rice wine cross borders and contexts to convey its unique cultural and aesthetic values to the world?
According to statistics, there are Chinese cuisines in 188 countries around the world, and 550,000+ Chinese restaurants are all over the world, which undoubtedly provides a broad stage for the spread of Chinese culture. The perfect combination of Chinese food and Chinese rice wine is the best way to show Chinese culture to the world.
It is understood that Chinese food, as an extremely complex system, has eight major cuisines and cumbersome cooking methods, and the banquet etiquette is rigorous and rich in cultural connotation. In the face of such complexity, rice wine has shown a high degree of adaptability. "Because, rice wine itself is a complex type of liquor. First of all, the brewing process is very complex, and it needs to go through the four seasons to complete the brewing, and secondly, the flavor of rice wine is rich, including six flavors, including sour, sweet, bitter and fresh, which complement the complexity of Chinese food and form a natural fit. Fu Zukang said that this fit is not only reflected in the taste, but also in the culture and aesthetics.
Specifically, the yellow wine is golden or amber in color, clear and translucent, its aroma is elegant, the body is mellow, and the warm taste and sweet aftertaste when tasting all reflect the beauty of introverted, subtle and artistic conception in oriental aesthetics. Chinese food, on the other hand, pursues a high degree of unity between the visual art and the taste art of food through the perfect integration of color, aroma, taste, shape and utensils. Whether it is the color matching of dishes, the composition of plating, or the selection and arrangement of tableware, they all reflect the principles of symmetry, balance, and blank space in classical Chinese aesthetics. Therefore, when rice wine meets carefully prepared Chinese food, the two complement each other on the table, bringing diners into a poetic world of senses, and jointly interpreting the elegance and sophistication of Chinese food culture.
"Going out" allows the world to see the charm of the East
According to the reporter of "Huaxia Wine News", at the event site, Huijishan Lanting brought a feast to guests around the world with its extraordinary quality, 228 intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship and 14° mellow liquor, and won wide praise. A foreign friend commented on the spot: "Chinese rice wine is very special, carefully smelling the aroma of flowers and fruits, drinking it, the sweet and sour flavor is prominent." After gaining an in-depth understanding of the allusion of "Qushui Liuzhen" carried by Huijishan Lanting and the intangible cultural heritage brewing art of rice wine, many guests had a deeper understanding and resonance of the profound historical heritage behind this cup of Chinese wine.
It can be said that every drop of Huijishan Lanting rice wine is like a window to Chinese culture, showing the essence of Chinese culture on the international stage in a tasteful and perceptible way.
In fact, whenever the giant wheel of history rolls forward, Huijishan has a unique way to engage in an in-depth dialogue with the world.
As early as 1915, Zhou Qing, the fifth-generation successor of Yunji Distillery, the predecessor of Huiji Mountain, crossed the ocean with the help of Mr. Lu Xun and participated in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco, USA. It was at this world-renowned event that Shaoxing rice wine won the first international gold medal in history. Among them, only Shanxi Fenjiu and Yunji Distillery have gone down in history with clear brand names.
In the more than 100 years since then, Huijishan has had many dialogues with the world and has become a bridge and link between China and foreign exchanges: whether it became the wine for the state banquet in the Great Hall of the People in 1998, the designated wine for the China Pavilion at the Milan World Expo in Italy in 2015, or the designated wine for the G20 Hangzhou Summit in 2016, Huijishan has been represented by Chinese rice wine, showing the charm of Chinese wine to the world and conveying cultural self-confidence.
To this day, Huiji Mountain's "Journey to Sea" is still non-stop. At the intersection of Chinese and French food culture in the past 60 years, Huiji Mountain has flown 9,300 kilometers from Shaoxing to Paris, which is not only an active exploration of a new paradigm of Chinese rice wine "going global", but also provides new ideas and new templates for the world expression of Chinese culture.
I believe that in the future, as Chinese culture appears in front of the world in a more vivid way, Huijishan will continue to uphold cultural self-confidence, rely on the 281-year brand history accumulation, shoulder the important task of showing the beauty of Chinese wine to the world, and continue to write the wonderful story of Chinese rice wine on the world stage in a more diversified way.