French Christmas markets showcase white liquor producer's unique flavors

Buying gifts at a Christmas market is a tradition for people in France, as well as the rest of Europe, during the festive season.

During the most recent Christmas, residents in three regions of France were presented with a new option — white liquor made by renowned Chinese distiller Xinghuacun Fenjiu.

In the eastern French city of Strasbourg, which is said to be home to the oldest Christmas market in the country — with a history of 445 years — Xinghuacun Fenjiu could be found in a small wooden cabin with Christmas decorations. The white liquor was also on sale at the Christmas market in Colmar, another city in the east of France, and La Defense district in Paris.

At the three markets, the liquor was contained in white-blue porcelain bottles, attracting the attention of visitors with its Chinese cultural elements.

However, changes were made to adapt to the local customers. The white liquor varieties were modified to suit the tastes of Europeans with a lower percentage of alcohol.

There were also French chefs cooking meals and making snacks on-site, which were served to customers along with the distiller's varieties like Xinghuacun and Zhuyeqing.

According to executives at the Chinese distillery company based in Fenyang city, Shanxi province, Xinghuacun Fenjiu has a long association with France.

They said the French began to produce brandy by incorporating the double-distilling technique of Fenjiu.

Xinghuacun Fenjiu began to exhibit its products at an alcoholic beverage industrial show in the French city of Tour in 1987. It won a gold medal at the show in 1988. This was the second time that Xinghuacun Fenjiu won the honor after it secured a gold prize at the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, the United States, in 1915.

Xinghuacun Fenjiu began to go global on a large scale after it garnered attention at the San Francisco expo. Today, Xinghuacun Fenjiu has a presence in more than 60 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, through its 50-plus overseas dealers and more than 9,000 outlets.

Zhao Qingyuan contributed to this story.

Fenjiu white liquor varieties from Shanxi province are on sale at the French Christmas market. WEN ZHAOYAN/FOR CHINA DAILY