Maotai, Guizhou

Maotai
茅台镇
Paifang at Maotai Town
Paifang at Maotai Town
Map
Coordinates: 27°51′16″N 106°22′03″E / 27.85444°N 106.36750°E / 27.85444; 106.36750
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceGuizhou
Prefecture-level cityZunyi
County-level cityRenhuai
Village-level divisions5 residential communities
8 villages
Elevation
453 m (1,486 ft)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)

Maotai (simplified Chinese: 茅台; traditional Chinese: 茅台 or 茅臺; pinyin: Máotái) is a town in the north of Guizhou province, known as the production site of maotai wine and located on the southeast (right) bank of the Chishui River (赤水河). It is under the administration of Renhuai City,[1] As of 2011, it has five residential communities (社区) and eight villages under its administration.[2]

The village is most famous as the origin of the eponymous brand of baijiu. The liquor is one of the most universally popular in China.[3] Maotai is the only alcoholic beverage presented as an official gift by Chinese embassies in foreign countries and regions, and it received worldwide exposure when Zhou Enlai used the liquor to entertain Richard Nixon during the state banquet for the U.S. presidential visit to China in 1972.[4]

  1. ^ 2011年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码:仁怀市 (in Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  2. ^ 2011年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码:茅台镇 (in Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  3. ^ Sandaus, Derek (August 19, 2014). "Unearthing China's Ancient Terroir in Maotai". punchdrink.com. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Mark Macdonald (July 3, 2012). "One Chinese Liquor Brand Is the Life of the Party". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2012-07-03.