An emerging form of cultural tourism is offering insights into the rich traditions of the Chinese liquor, attracting thousands of curious travelers to Guizhou Province in the country's southwest.

Distilled from fermented sorghum, baijiu is the most popular form of liquor in China, and the top of the top-shelf is Moutai-style baijiu, which originated in Maotai Town of Guizhou’s Renhuai City.
On the banks of the Chishui River in Renhuai City, a folk event took place on Friday, the Double Ninth Festival, to mark the start of a new round of Moutai-style liquor production.
Each year, Renhuai holds this special event to attract tourists eager to experience the region's liquor culture.
"I've always been fascinated by Moutai-style liquor, but seeing the production process and learning about the culture of Moutai-style liquor up close was truly breathtaking," said a visitor.
To further drive the integration of liquor and tourism, local distilleries are constantly innovating their processes while creating new experiences by opening their production facilities to the public.
"Our smart production workshops, digital wine cellars, intelligent packaging lines, products and exhibition halls are all open to the public. We've even developed an immersive experience where consumers can witness the brewing culture and production process of Moutai-style liquor firsthand," said Zhou Xinle, deputy general manager of Guotai Digital Smart Liquor Group.
During the National Day holiday, Maotai Town received 282,900 visitors, generating over 170 million yuan (more than 24 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, according to data from the Zunyi Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau.