Xinghuacun Fenjiu presents its latest varieties to Australian guests during a tasting event in Beijing. [Photo by Wen Zhaoyan for China Daily]

Guests from Australia were treated to a liquor tasting event hosted by renowned white liquor producer Xinghuacun Fenjiu on Aug 18 in Beijing, serving as a prelude to the launch of new varieties into the Australian market.

Those attending the gala included Australian business representatives and diplomats in Beijing, overseas Chinese as well as Chinese guests who have been engaged in exchanges with Australia.

Huang Rengang, former minister counselor for commercial affairs at the Chinese embassy in Australia, said this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia and the two countries have seen steady development in business ties over the past few decades.

He added that he expects the white liquor brand owned by the Xinghuacun Fenjiu Group based in the city of Fenyang, Shanxi province, can play a role in strengthening economic exchanges between the two nations.

An executive in charge of international operations at Xinghuacun Fenjiu introduced at the event the recent developments of the brand in the Australian market and talked about its history. The brand name of Xinghuacun Fenjiu has a profound association with the long domestic history of alcoholic beverage production.

For many centuries, fenjiu had referred to the alcoholic beverage varieties produced in the city of Fenyang. Xinghuacun, which literally means apricot blossom village, is the township where Xinghuacun Fenjiu Group is located and has been the hub of alcoholic beverage production in Fenyang.

In July 1982, archaeologists began excavations of ancient ruins in Xinghuacun township, including the premises of the company.

Discoveries in the decades prove that the region's production of alcoholic beverages can be traced back to some 6,000 years ago.

In the past century an ancient bottle containing traces of the alcoholic beverage was discovered in the region. It is now exhibited in the museum of the company, representing material evidence of its long history.

Because of the discoveries, researchers said Xinghuacun might be the origin of China's alcoholic beverage industry.

Xinghuacun Fenjiu is one of the pioneering white liquor companies of China that have gone global. After it won a gold prize at the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, the United States, in 1915, Fenjiu-branded white liquor began to attract the attention of international buyers.

Since then, several Fenjiu brands, including Fenjiu and Zhuyeqing, have become popular in overseas markets. The brands were first sold in Southeast Asia and East Asia and then to Europe and the Americas. To date, Xinghuacun Fenjiu has developed a presence in more than 200 cities in 80-plus countries.

Zhao Qingyuan contributed to this story.