Tourism is intermixed with the Guizhou Wine culture and Miao Minority People’s culture. Sometimes at dinners in minority villages ladies will serve a sweet rice wine. It is accompanied with songs and almost a force-feeding of the wine. It all evolved into what we call (on tourguizhou.net) the alco-tourism:
The USA exhibits at the China-Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverages Exposition were hard to find, but the wine tasted good.
Alco-Tourism. These are some of my favorite shots from the wine festival. They capture the flavor of the event.
I visited the Wine Festival from the 9th to the 12th. Most of the action takes place on September 10 and 11, with a lot of public there and wineries in full competition. The 9th saw the festival open only to exhibitors, with opening to public toward the end of the day. Many countries were represented. The Guizhou government subsidized travel expenses, paid for shipping of wine, and provided free kiosks to the exhibitors. In a “Where’s Waldo” moment, I had trouble finding the USA exhibitions. They were kind of tucked away, and not well presented. Not many USA wineries were represented, by comparison to France, Italy, Eastern Europe, and South America. Another Where’s Waldo moment was when my Argentine friend looked for his home country. Although Argentina wine is all over Guiyang, Argentina wasn’t represented at the Expo. Maybe that was a mistake . . .
A World Alcoholic Drinks the Alliance (WADA) was formed to share resources and promote group competitiveness. Wine industry associations have organized and formed this association, with the first meeting held at The China-Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverages Expo. The first session of this new organization was held on the morning of September 9. Alcoholic drinks associations were represented from five continents.
The The China-Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverages Expo will be ready for the opening ceremony Tuesday morning. Preparations are underway. Alco-Tourism is not a joke. Guizhou is taking every chance to promote tourism, along with the international wine industry . . .
The caption says: “Intoxicated with the Beauty of Guizhou”. On September 7 the preparations are well underway and approximately 1400 vendors are setting up:
The China-Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverages Expo opens September 9 and brings winery people, wine lovers and tourists together in Guiyang, the Capital of Guizhou Province. China is a big producer and consumer of alcohol and Guizhou is the home of Moutai, the national liquor of China. Guizhou is also one of the most beautiful provinces of China, with abundant water, mountains, forests, and minority peoples, with their traditional customs, costumes, and rituals. It is a world class tourist destination, that remains remarkably unspoiled. This conference brings people from wineries all over the world, including: South America, Europe, the USA, Mexico, Australia, and, of course, Asia. According to China Daily, as of August 31, 2014, (http://guizhou.chinadaily.com.cn/2014-09/01/content_18526032.htm ) more than 1,400 exhibitors from China and abroad have confirmed their attendance at the fourth China-Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverages Expo. This year’s Expo has attracted over 900 overseas exhibitors accounting for 64 percent of the total number of exhibitors, according to the organizing committee office. There are also 500 domestic exhibitors like Moutai, Wuninagye Liquor, Luzhou Laojiao, Yanjing Beer and Qingdao Beer. Meanwhile, 10 provinces, including Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Gansu, Anhui, Heilongjiang, Shanxi, Qinghai, Jiangxi and Ningxia, have established pavilions to show their image to the public.
The Guizhou International Wine Festival is starting on Tuesday the Ninth. It will be an easy festival to remember in the future. Nine means “Jiu” in Chinese. The ninth month is “Jiu Yue” (yue = month) and the ninth day of the month is “Jiu Hao”. On that day, we begin celebrating alcohol “Jiu” (alcohol = “jiu” also). So it is very clever . . . We celebrate jiu on the jiu day of the jiu month.
Contact Information for Dennis
My friend Dennis is in the tour business, and can help you if you still want to come to the festival. The town is filling up because alcohol is big business in Guizhou. This has been a very successful event in past years.
Dennis
Lisa is the CEO of a company called: 贵州晟雅轩葡萄酒文化传播有限公司
This loosely translates to: “Guizhou Province Wine Culture Communication Company”
Lisa is a veteran festival organizer.
Lisa has spent a lot of time organizing this event and throughout the year she has been conducting wine tasting events, building the local market for grape wine. Since Guizhou is the home of Moutai, the most popular liquor in China, the term “wine” or “jiu” in Chinese usually refers to the liquor. Wine from green and red grapes must carry the prefix “grape” wine.
Lisa can be reached at local phone numbers: 13984899400 and 0851-6502533 Lisa’s email is a QQ number: 136759116@qq.com
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING POST IS NOW DATED (8/28/14)
NO MORE APPLICATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED
The 4th China Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverage Expo
An opportunity for Michigan Wineries
By: John S. Porter, a Michigander
“Chinese Ministry of Commerce and Guizhou Provincial People’s Government will co-sponsor The Fourth China•Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverages Expo （Hereinafter referred to as The Expo）with the approval from the State Council of China. The Expo aims at building up a platform for the global alcohol industries with the theme of Cooperation on Global Drinks. It also opens a door of Guizhou to the world to show the province’s environment…” From Guizhou Provincial Government announcement.
Guiyang is a newly developing provincial capital and is pushing hard to establish itself as a tourist destination. They are using the Wine Expo to promote both tourism and the newly developing Chinese interest in the grape wine industry. Guizhou is the home of Moutai Corporation which makes the most popular liquor in China.
The Guizhou Government is providing incentives for foreign wine companies to exhibit their wines and learn about marketing to China. There is a subsidy available. Also, up to 60 bottles of wine will be shipped to The Expo at no charge to the exhibitors. Wine exhibitors must arrive in China between September 2nd and 7th. Exhibitor kiosks will be provided at no charge to the exhibitors.
Travel arrangements are being made by Guizhou Overseas Travel Corp. Ltd (GZOTC). There will be three or four days in Guiyang, participating in the event, and another five or six days travel around Guizhou. Package details will be provided if Michigan Wineries wish to participate. The entire trip is expected to take the first two weeks of September and will include suitable tourist destinations.
The Guizhou Government will provide approximately $1,500 to partially offset travel and accommodation expenses. Airline tickets alone should cost about $2,000 per person and other expenses could be between $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the size of the group and where they go within Guizhou Province.
September 8 to 12 exhibitors should stay in Guiyang in support of The Expo. Tourist attractions could be visited within Guizhou Province before or after The Expo. GZOTC can customize trips throughout China if exhibitors have an interest and the time.
The wine industry in China is very young, and growing rapidly. Michigan wineries are seeking credibility in the world’s wine industry, and The Expo may be a suitable opening for marketing to China. We can showcase Michigan in China. Certainly it can provide exhibitors with a unique China visit, with partial reimbursement as well as a possible deduction.
In order to secure the subsidy, kiosk, and ship the wine, applications must be completed quickly, by mid-July. Interested persons should contact johnsporter@gmail.com as soon as possible to begin the process.
About Guizhou Province:
Guizhou Location Map
Guizhou is an interior province that is mountainous, has abundant water resources, and natural scenery. The subtropical location and mountains combine for a very moderate climate. It is a “Forest City”. There are many minority villages with fascinating lifestyles in the region..
Information about Guizhou and the expat community here can be found at:
The Expo Sponsors:
Sponsors: Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China
The People’s Government of Guizhou Province
Supported by:
Commission of Development and Reform of P.R.China
Ministry of Foreign Affair of P.R.China
Ministry of Industry and Information of P.R.China
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade
China National Light Industry Council
China Alcoholic Drinks Industry Association
China National Association for Liquors and Spirits Circulation
Fair Schedule
August 20th , 2014
August 31th, 2014
September 7th-8th, 2014
September 9th-13th, 2014
September 14h-15h, 2014
All wine samples should arrive in Guiyang
All wine samples should be cleared from China Customs in Guiyang.
All exhibitors arrive in Guiyang, check in the hotels
Exhibition Period.
Exhibitor could start to fly back to his country or other place.
Fair Dismiss
Gao Kao – The Black June 7 & 8
I have been living here in Guiyang, China for nearly 7 years out of the last fourteen. I’ve been coming to Guiyang exclusively over that time as an English teacher. I’m now teaching at Guizhou Normal University of Guiyang. I still maintain a real estate appraisal business in Traverse City, using trusted friends to do most of the work. I am fascinated by this life and the lifestyle of my Chinese friends.
A couple weekends ago was the weekend for nationwide testing of college bound students. China has a history of national testing that dates back to 907 AD, with few interruptions. The current national testing began under Deng Xiao Ping in 1979 and is called the Gao Kao. The entire lives of children approximately age 18 have been directed toward a supreme effort to score well on this exam. It is the belief among many that these two days will determine the future of so many young people – See: http://www.businessinsider.com/24-stunning-photos-of-chinas-college-entrance-exams-2014-6
Good jobs are not plentiful in China and graduation from a credible university is deemed to be the key to getting a good job. The greatest single factor in getting into a credible university, often perhaps the only factor, is an excellent score on this exam. It is tough on children and parents alike, especially parents. In a land where one child per family is the law. Many believe that performance of a child on these two days determines success or failure . . . of the parents.
Perhaps it sounds tongue in cheek, or an exaggeration, but the above paragraph has been reviewed by many educators in China, and it’s not an exaggeration. I know a leader in the community, a person that was a director in local government and the headmaster of one of the best middle schools in Guiyang. In 2000 I knew her to be middle-aged and soon to be old. When I returned to China in 2010, after not seeing her for years, I ran into her. She was lovely and relaxed. She seemed ten years younger to me (not 10 years older). I told her so and asked what had happened to her. She said that when I knew her in 2000 her son was in the middle of taking the Gao Kao exam. She wasn’t sleeping well then and was very worried. Now, after success on that exam, and a successful college performance at a credible university, her son is a doctor.
I am writing this log entry a couple weeks after these two days and the internet is off, as the result of a reported equipment failure, off for nearly two weeks to my place. The campus internet is adversely impacted because the IT guys are concentrating on keeping good internet performance in the classrooms where the tests are graded. Good internet is essential for nationwide reporting of exam results. We just have to wait. After the grades are in, it is expected that the internet will be turned on again.
Last year I watched a TV talk show about this time of year. Every year it is discussed whether the one chance one test system is best for China. Every year they suggest changes be made, but it has been just too difficult to change. There is no second chance. One strike and you are out. I think this system dates back to when China had way too many students and not enough colleges. It was a numbers problem and the best way to weed out 70 to 80 percent of the students was with one bone-crusher test. Whether it was fair to all the different kinds of students was not the issue. It served its function well, weeding out the weaker students and promoting the strong. If you were sick that day or your mother had died, it was just too bad, no make-ups.
The TV talk show focused on a student that left the test to help a student beside him that had some health issue, seizure or something. He waited for somebody to help the student next to him and when that didn’t happen, he took her to the hospital. He never got the chance to complete the test and got a score of about 25%. After much hand-wringing the analysts decided that the student should have minded his own business and the system couldn’t make an exception for him no matter how extraordinary the circumstances. It was hoped that some university might find a use for somebody with humanitarian instincts, but little in terms of self preservation instincts. The lesson was clear . . . mind your own business first.
It’s hard to understate what a big deal the Gao Kao is here in China. Construction is stopped on that weekend to avoid distractions. Honking of horns is forbidden, and so on. Some parents can be extremely unreasonable, with people demanding that elevators in tall buildings be stopped for fear of distracting a studying student. Dancing by old people is common in public squares at night . . .big trouble. It is said that the two most unreasonable kinds of people in China are mothers of children taking the Gao Kao, and old men who insist on playing their music and dancing in public squares, no matter what . . .
During review of this article it has been pointed out that the altruistic student who left the exam room a year ago has been offered several opportunities by credible universities, who do indeed appreciate his humanitarian instinct. Further, this year I learned that there was an exception to the policy for a couple students who had been hospitalized due to injuries they sustained helping others. More revisions to the system appear to be coming, even though it has taken a long time.
A more user friendly system of testing may be on the horizon. The question of who is served by this system of public testing will be discussed, not unlike the issue of public education itself. Is the public education system set up for the benefit of the students and parents, or is it set up to benefit society as a whole? The students and parents may think that the system is there for their benefit, but that is probably not true. Increasing the public’s general education level is for the benefit of the society as a whole. Getting the best out of the available students is in the public’s interest. In the past, space in universities was scarce. Now, due to the one child policy and expanded university capacity, more good students are needed. The system designed to “weed out” 70 to 80 percent of the students may be discouraging some students, especially the “late bloomers”, those with unique or specialty interests, and those who happen to have had an unrelated crisis on the test day. As I see it, the question isn’t whether to change the system. It’s how do you tell the difference between a weed and a flower? A student’s enthusiasm is a terrible thing to waste.How to change the the world’s most massive uniform testing system?