Xiao Ning of Xifeng Liquor: Under new consumption patterns, how can Baijiu achieve green transformation and value redefinition?

How can the cultural connotation of “Phoenix” be deeply integrated with the concept of sustainable development?

China Economic Journal reporters Yan Na and Sun Jizheng report from Chengdu

“Chinese liquor can only activate innovation momentum by respecting tradition and uphold quality fundamentals while embracing change, in order to achieve a leap from material products to value media.” This was stated by Xiao Ning, deputy general manager of Shaanxi Xifeng Liquor Co., Ltd., at the “New Quality Consumption·Dual Improvement of Quality and Efficiency - 2026 China New Consumption Industry High-Quality Development Forum” hosted by the China Economic Journal.

As the core engine driving industrial upgrades, “new quality consumption” is profoundly reconstructing the production logic and consumption paradigm of the liquor industry. Regarding how liquor companies should seize the opportunities of the times and navigate the paths of green transformation and value reconstruction, Xiao Ning delivered a speech themed “New Quality Consumption: Green Transformation and Value Reconstruction,” sharing Xifeng Liquor’s practical exploration and industry insights.

Upholding Cultural Heritage and Quality Foundation

As a national industry that carries a millennia of cultural heritage, Chinese liquor is currently in an era of accelerating the leap of new quality productivity. The industry’s production logic is shifting from factor-driven to innovation-driven, showing a trend towards concentration in advantageous production areas, leading brands, and high-quality production capacity; the consumption paradigm is also upgrading from functional satisfaction to multidimensional value pursuits of emotional resonance, cultural identity, and green health.

In October 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of Historical Classic Industries (2026-2030) (Draft for Comments),” which for the first time places liquor brewing alongside traditional industries such as silk, tea, and porcelain as “historical classic industries.” The policy shift endows liquor with dual attributes and a contemporary mission. Xiao Ning believes that famous liquor is both a living cultural heritage and a thriving modern industry, which not only leads consumption quality but also bears the responsibility of disseminating Chinese culture and enhancing cultural confidence.

Xifeng Liquor has a long history, from inscriptions on bronze vessels during the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the exchanges along the Silk Road during the Qin and Han dynasties, the Tang dynasty’s reputation of “opening the altar with fragrance for ten miles,” and the revitalization of the liquor industry by Su Shi in the Song dynasty. Over three thousand years, the cultural genes of Xifeng Liquor have been deeply embedded in Chinese civilization.

The nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage skills that have been passed down through generations are the core code for the enduring vitality of Xifeng Liquor. Xiao Ning introduced that Xifeng Liquor adheres to the ancestral teachings of “six essentials in brewing,” creating the unique flavor of Fengxiang through multiple rounds of solid-state fermentation; relying on the world-unique large liquor sea aging technique and using natural raw materials to craft storage containers, it brews the one-of-a-kind “honey-aged fragrance.” “Upholding ancient craftsmanship and green development, practicing the philosophy of harmony between heaven and man in brewing, is not only the secret to Xifeng Liquor’s three-thousand-year longevity but also the fundamental basis for achieving value reconstruction in the era of new quality consumption. Only by preserving the roots of quality can green transformation have support, and value innovation have direction, truly responding to consumers’ core demands for high-quality, high-value fine liquor,” said Xiao Ning.

Promoting Green and Value Innovation

Currently, green consumption has become the core trend of new quality consumption, with consumers’ focus extending beyond product quality to production methods, social responsibility, and sustainable value. Xiao Ning believes that green transformation is not a passive requirement, but an active strategic choice by Xifeng Liquor, serving as the core lever for new quality productivity in the traditional brewing industry. Xifeng Liquor focuses on the greening of the entire industry chain, exerting efforts from raw materials, brewing, to recycling, integrating green concepts throughout the production and operation process.

At the raw material end, Xifeng Liquor has established standardized green brewing raw material planting bases, fully implementing green organic standards and establishing a traceable quality system throughout the process, controlling quality safety from the source and promoting agricultural green development and rural revitalization. At the brewing end, Xifeng Liquor promotes the deep integration of digital technology and green brewing, building a digital intelligent factory to optimize processes through the Internet of Things and big data, achieving standardized inheritance of intangible cultural heritage techniques while reducing energy consumption and promoting clean production and water recycling. At the recycling end, Xifeng Liquor has constructed a closed-loop circular economy model, transforming distiller’s grains into organic feed and bio-fertilizers to support planting, practicing the sustainable concept of taking from nature and returning to nature. Meanwhile, Xifeng Liquor incorporates green health concepts, launching innovative products like Yangyuan Spring and Youth Law.

Xiao Ning pointed out that the essence of new quality consumption is the mutual pursuit of value between consumers and brands. With the rise of the consumption power of the post-80s, post-90s, and even post-00s, the liquor market faces multidimensional changes in consumption scenarios, self-pleasure expressions, and emotional value demands. The key to the value reconstruction of liquor brands is to break the logic of traditional product supply and build a deep spiritual connection with consumers, making the brand a carrier of cultural identity, value identity, and lifestyle identity for consumers. Xifeng Liquor always revolves around the two core elements of “culture + green,” allowing the three-thousand-year Phoenix fragrance cultural heritage to resonate with consumers in a new era, achieving a comprehensive elevation of brand value.

Regarding how Xifeng Liquor carries out cultural value reconstruction, Xiao Ning shared that Xifeng Liquor deeply explores the cultural connotation of “Phoenix,” integrating the core of “Phoenix Nirvana, eternal life” with the concept of green development; it has established the Xifeng Liquor Cultural Museum, employing digital technology to make the three-thousand-year brewing civilization perceptible and experiential; it has created cultural IPs like “Grand Sealing Ceremony” and “FENG Enjoyment Together,” achieving consumer value resonance of “drinking Xifeng, appreciating culture, and enjoying oneself.”

Taking the museum construction as an example, in September 2025, the Xifeng Liquor Cultural Museum, covering more than 12,000 square meters, was completed. It is currently one of the relatively comprehensive liquor cultural museums in the Chinese liquor industry in terms of scale of construction and historical data organization, using digital technology to make the three-thousand-year brewing civilization a perceptible and experiential living culture, allowing consumers to understand the cultural connotation and green intention of Xifeng Liquor through immersive experiences.

Furthermore, in reshaping consumer connections, Xifeng Liquor breaks the boundaries of traditional liquor circles, connecting new consumer demands with green, healthy, and trendy elements, creating trendy consumption scenarios and launching regional cultural creative products, allowing fine liquor to enter the younger demographic. As the designated liquor for the “China-Central Asia Summit” and the “Silk Road Thousands of Miles Journey,” Xifeng Liquor has entered more than 30 countries and regions around the world, hosting Phoenix liquor cultural tasting events in cities like Rome, Dubai, and St. Petersburg, using liquor as a medium to promote mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations, making famous liquor an important link in facilitating cultural exchanges.

Xiao Ning concluded by stating that in 2026, standing at a new starting point for the 14th Five-Year Plan, Xifeng Liquor is willing to work together with industry peers to uphold craftsmanship quality, embrace the changes of the times, and jointly promote the high-quality development of Chinese liquor, allowing millennia of cultural heritage to thrive in the new quality consumption wave and rejuvenating famous liquor through green transformation.

(Editor: Yu Haixia; Review: Sun Jizheng; Proofreading: Zhai Jun)