As the midsummer Dragon Boat Festival arrives, the scent of zongzi (rice dumplings) drifts through the air. In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the grand ballroom of the Château Louis Hotel sparkled with lights and buzzed with distinguished guests. Guizhou Moutai Group, in collaboration with Canada Han Jia Liquor, hosted a unique Moutai Dragon Boat Festival Banquet here, celebrating this cherished Chinese festival with the rich elegance of Moutai liquor and the cultural grace of tradition.
Honoring Chinese Culture, Sharing Fragrant Bonds
Stepping into the banquet hall felt like stepping into the heart of the festival itself: emerald-green zongzi delicately placed on each table, fresh mugwort sachets hanging nearby, gently releasing their herbal fragrance. Every seat was adorned with crystal-clear Moutai glasses, reflecting amber hues under soft lights, highlighting the captivating color of Feitian Moutai. The venue was tastefully decorated, balancing elegance with festive warmth: leaves, sachets, and bundles of mugwort filled the hall, allowing local Canadian guests to experience the unique blend of warmth and solemnity that marks the Dragon Boat Festival.
Welcoming Guests with Zongzi and Mugwort, Illuminating Past and Present with Liquor
The evening saw a distinguished gathering: Alberta Member of the Legislative Assembly Nathan Ip, Edmonton city councilors, the editor-in-chief of a renowned local food magazine, prominent entrepreneurs, and community leaders all arrived to join the celebration. Dressed formally, guests raised their glasses in toasts, celebrating both the joyous tradition of the festival and the overseas elegance of Moutai’s aroma.
During the event, MLA Nathan Ip, representing the provincial legislature, presented Canada Han Jia Liquor with a special honorary certificate, recognizing its outstanding contributions to promoting Chinese baijiu culture and fostering China-Canada friendship over the years. This honor was not only a commendation for Han Jia Liquor’s dedicated efforts but also a reflection of mainstream society’s respect and recognition for those who spread Chinese culture abroad.
Crafting Cocktails, Awakening the Senses with Moutai
The evening’s dining experience was a masterpiece in itself. The hosts unveiled a custom-designed Moutai cocktail created especially for the banquet: using Feitian Moutai as the base, the bartender blended it with oriental herbs and fresh seasonal fruit juices, gently shaking it over ice to create a crystal-clear jade-green drink with a rich, orchid-like aroma.
These inventive cocktails, glowing softly under candlelight, retained the elegant, delicate flavor of traditional Moutai while introducing the refreshing touch of Western mixology, offering guests a completely new sensory experience. Paired with meticulously prepared East-meets-West dishes — from beloved Western delicacies to innovative creations infused with Moutai — the banquet immersed guests in a feast where taste and culture intertwined.
Centuries of Tradition, Spirit Infused by Time
In Maotai Town, there’s an old saying: “Prepare the fermentation starter at Dragon Boat, begin grain fermentation at Double Ninth.” Every year around the fifth lunar month, Moutai’s annual brewing cycle begins: master brewers craft the fermentation starter using freshly harvested wheat along the Chishui River, leveraging the high heat and humidity to allow natural microbial growth, forming the signature “tortoise-shell patterned” qu bricks — the soul of the year’s sauce-aroma journey. By the Double Ninth Festival in autumn, they add the local red-sorghum for fermentation, following the natural rhythm of the seasons to complete the year-long brewing cycle.
The Dragon Boat Festival marks the very start of this process. In Chinese culture, it’s not just a day to honor ancient sages, but a moment tied to health, blessing, and living in tune with the seasons. As one of the first traditional festivals recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, Dragon Boat embodies a spirit and a set of customs that have endured for over a thousand years. Water and fire, herbs and grain, seasonal change and craftsmanship — they all converge on this day. Moutai’s unique aroma is not just the product of time; it is the crystallization of Chinese agricultural wisdom and the culture of seasonal rituals.
Cross-Cultural Exchange: Telling China’s Story Through Taste
This Moutai Dragon Boat Banquet was not merely a festive celebration — it was a vivid act of cultural storytelling. The organizers included a special “Introduction to Chinese Dragon Boat Culture” segment during the evening, explaining to local Canadian guests the historical roots of zongzi, the symbolism of mugwort, the origins of dragon boat racing, and how Moutai follows nature’s seasonal rhythms in its brewing process.
The event also offered zongzi and mugwort sachets as gifts for the guests, allowing foreign friends to personally touch and appreciate the beauty of Chinese seasonal traditions. Amid the mingling aromas of mugwort and Moutai, the depth and warmth of Chinese culture quietly infused the foreign summer night.
Aroma Across Borders, Shared Culture in the Moment
As night fell and the banquet drew to a close, the Moutai Dragon Boat Festival evening ended amidst gentle music and joyful laughter — but the fragrance of Moutai lingered in the Château Louis Hotel’s hall. A glass of Moutai is more than just a drink; it is a link between five millennia of civilization and today’s global world, a bridge connecting the hearts and cultures of Chinese and Canadian people alike.
This elegant gathering, blending Dragon Boat traditions with Moutai’s cultural essence, was not just a celebration of liquor or taste — it was a convergence of tradition and modernity, of Chinese and Western cultures, of the East and the world.
In this moment, Moutai became more than a bottle of liquor; it became a medium of cultural expression, a symbol of spirit. As the story of “aroma from Chishui” continues to unfold overseas, Moutai is emerging as one of the iconic emblems of Eastern civilization shared with the world. With liquor as a gift, with festivals as a bridge, the dialogue between Moutai and the world continues.