In September 2026, at Somerset House in London, the 2026 “Reviving Craft — Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Design” exhibition (“Reviving Craft”), organised by Sun Media Group, opened a spiritual dialogue between East and West. Jiannanchun presented its national intangible cultural heritage brewing technique and a number of flagship cultural co-branded products in the “Nourish the Mind” section. With fine fragrance as the bond and cultural and creative products as the vehicle, it showcased the enduring legacy and international appeal of Chinese intangible cultural heritage in liquor culture, offering a rich and profound celebration of cultural exchange centred on time, civilisation and contemporary life.
As the designated liquor of the China-UK Cultural Lights Dinner, a highlight of the exhibition, Jiannanchun served as a distinctive taste of the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures. It allowed Chinese and international guests to savour fine liquor while immersing themselves in the unique character of Chinese baijiu and the deep cultural roots of the East.
At the dinner, two classic products—Royal Jiannanchun and Jiannanchun · Manchester City Championship Liquor—stood out. The former inherits the character of Tang court liquor and draws on the essence of royal culture, condensing within a small bottle an Eastern ceremonial aesthetic that carries the meaning of “Nine-Five Supremacy” (a traditional term signifying imperial authority). Its body is full and mellow, with a clean, lingering finish. The latter is a special brew from the “Tianyi Laohao” cellars, and pays tribute, through intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship, to the glory on the pitch of “six trophies in ten years”. To break down the barriers between Chinese and Western drinking cultures, and to unlock a more international and youth-oriented expression of Chinese baijiu, Jiannanchun reinvented the way the liquor is enjoyed at the dinner, using Jiannanchun · Manchester City Championship Liquor as the base for a number of Western-style cocktails. The full-bodied, strong-aroma baijiu met the aesthetics of Western mixology with vivid energy, challenging familiar perceptions of traditional Chinese baijiu. It let the millennium-old character of intangible cultural heritage liquor meet a global audience in a livelier, more inclusive form, and vividly illustrated the spirit of mutual learning between civilisations: all civilisations can appreciate each other’s beauty while valuing their own.
Beyond its striking appearance at the dinner, the Jiannanchun exhibition area also brought together a range of flagship cultural co-branded premium pieces, demonstrating the brand’s formidable strength in cultural heritage. Of these, the Jiannanchun · Bronze Age series drew particular attention. Jointly created by Jiannanchun and Sanxingdui Museum as a high-end cultural premium piece, the series comprises three products: “Sanxingdui Bronze Age Standing Figure”, “Bronze Age (Mask Edition)” and “Bronze Age”. They were launched respectively to mark the opening of Sanxingdui Museum’s new building, its 30th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the birth of modern Chinese archaeology, each carrying special commemorative significance. The Sanxingdui bronze civilisation, mysterious and imposing after lying dormant for millennia, resonates with the mellow, enduring aroma of Jiannanchun, whose fragrance has persisted for a thousand years. The profound heritage of these bronze treasures and the craftsmanship of time-honoured brewing complement each other, telling the story of the splendour and brilliance of Chinese civilisation through wafts of mellow aroma and giving every product both great cultural commemorative value and rare collectible value.
Also on display, Jiannanchun · Gilded Age once again demonstrated Jiannanchun’s founding commitment to Chinese cultural heritage. This co-branded premium piece, created in partnership with Shaanxi History Museum, takes the Tang imperial treasure the Gold Bowl with Mandarin Duck and Lotus Pattern as its design core, and recreates in depth the cultural splendour of the Tang dynasty at its height. The product features an innovative three-part detachable structure, distilling the classic motifs of the gold bowl’s paired mandarin ducks and surrounding lotus petals to embody the Eastern humanistic philosophy of “harmony, unity and coexistence”. The outer box draws on the classic form of the Tang-dynasty openwork silver sachet; its distinctive and exquisite shape expresses the Eastern design concept of “turning structured forms into a perfect circle, reflecting all things in brilliance”. Every vessel and every flavour holds a thousand years of Tang elegance, and a cup of fine liquor pays tribute to a thousand years of Chinese cultural heritage.
While reviving millennia of Eastern civilisation through a diverse range of cultural and creative products, Jiannanchun also turned its attention to the deeper roots of civilisation. At the exhibition’s roundtable session, Tian Feng, Deputy General Manager of Sichuan Jiannanchun (Group) Co., Ltd., joined fellow guests in discussing the central question of “how tradition can connect with the present”, and shared Jiannanchun’s cultural practice and reflections.
He noted that Jiannanchun and Sanxingdui share roots in the land of ancient Shu, with an intrinsic resonance that spans 3,000 years. The large number of liquor ritual vessels unearthed at Sanxingdui are a frozen record of ancient Shu liquor civilisation, while Jiannanchun is that civilisation’s living continuation. A brick dated to the fifth year of the Yongming reign of the Southern Qi dynasty, unearthed from the “Tianyi Laohao” cellars, confirms that its brewing history can be traced back to 487 CE. The millennium-old cellars remain in use today, and the brewing technique has been inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list.
Tian Feng went on to explain the logic behind the brand’s role in cultural heritage: “A brand’s greatest strength lies in its ability to read what consumers want, and to turn the cultural core of museum artefacts into physical products that can be touched and tasted.” He stressed that bringing artefacts to life is by no means a matter of simply replicating decorative motifs or running short-term marketing.
Speaking of the original intention behind coming to London for the exhibition, Tian Feng said frankly that the trip was not about a one-way export of Eastern stories, but an equal dialogue between civilisations. London, as a global capital of arts, is a meeting place of many civilisations, and liquor is a universal cultural language that transcends words. A fine drink can break down language barriers and build emotional connections between people. Jiannanchun uses liquor as its vehicle to bring ancient Shu civilisation and Tang court liquor culture to the international stage. Drawing on the international platform of the London exhibition, the brand hopes to let overseas audiences appreciate the richness and depth of Chinese civilisation through the fragrance of liquor, and to help Chinese intangible cultural heritage reach the world.
Looking ahead, Jiannanchun has set out four directions for the internationalisation of its culture: safeguarding both tangible and intangible cultural heritage through systematic protection; conducting cross-cultural exchange on diverse international platforms, where ideas can spark creative inspiration; continuing to delve into Sanxingdui and Tang tribute liquor culture, creating products and cultural tourism experiences that offer both practical and cultural value; and continuing to invest in research on cultural relics and cultural preservation, so that ancient civilisations may flourish for generations to come.
With its rich array of exhibits, innovative cultural expression and diverse forms of exchange, Jiannanchun showcased on London’s international stage the cultural responsibility and global outlook of one of China’s leading baijiu brands. Tian Feng distilled the message Sanxingdui offers the present into four principles: openness and inclusiveness, shared appreciation of beauty, harmony between humanity and nature, and ceaseless self-improvement. These principles embody both the wisdom of the ancient Shu people and Jiannanchun’s unwavering cultural aspirations. The fires of its thousand-year-old cellars continue to burn, and every cup of Jiannanchun carries the Eastern craftsmanship of generations across time. Rooted in a profound cultural heritage, Jiannanchun is building bridges between cultures through its brand and fostering equal exchanges between China and the rest of the world, allowing the world to witness the power of the living inheritance of China’s intangible cultural heritage and helping the civilisations of the world flourish together in all their brilliance.
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