茅台：恰如其分的醉

文、译/孙晔

茅台：恰如其分的醉

If you're tipsy you're at the tipping point

文、译/孙晔

周恩来总理用茅台酒宴请中外嘉宾

每年的农历九月初九，位于贵州茅台镇的茅台酒厂都会举行祭祀典礼来纪念白酒界的先辈和那些传承了数千年的酿造工艺，这对茅台人而言是最神圣而庄严的仪式。

Refined techniques and expert tasters produce liquor’s distinctive flavor

用茅台人的话来说，尊重数千年延绵下来的传统，或许是茅台酒能长盛不衰的一个重要原因吧。

Why travel for hours for a 30-minute ritual at a distillery hundreds of kilometers from Guiyang, capital city of Guizhou province?

At Kweichow Moutai, China’s most recognized liquor producer,the annual worship ceremony that falls at 9 am on the ninth day of September by the lunar calendar is considered paramount.

10月的茅台镇总是飘着绵绵细雨，空气中伴着茅台那醉人的酒香，祭祀仪式开始，人们用三项仪式来祭奠古老的酿酒先辈。

祭坛上满满地摆放着红高粱、小麦等酿造茅台酒的主要原料，酿酒师们认为只有用最朴质的酿酒材料才能表达他们对先辈的崇敬和感激。

By honoring the traditions that go back thousands of years, company officials say, one may finally uncover the secret to the enduring fame of this type of baijiu, or white liquor.

伴着祭文吟唱的声音，好似酿酒先辈们在述说和叮嘱着后辈在传承酿酒精髓的同时不要忘记开拓和创新。两千多人在祭酒仪式上三叩首，感谢上苍对茅台的恩赐，承诺会保持优良的酿酒传统，使茅台继续香飘万里。

On this rainy late October morning in the town, also named Moutai, three rounds of sacrifices were made to liquor-making ancestors. Sorghum and wheat, as well as clean water the basic ingredients of Moutai making were offered. Tall incense sticks were lighted. Orations that promised the ancestors to keep the traditions going were chanted. Finally, 2,000 participants attending the ritual bowed three times to the gods that traditionally are believed to help produce Moutai.

被称为国酒的茅台以其独有的酿造工艺和深厚的历史积淀在市场上受到人们的追捧。 茅台酒所采用的最原始的方式进行原料添加，对于人力的要求是非常高的。成堆的高粱要通过人工洒热水进行润料，随后工人要用铲子不断翻拌，制酒工人必须在两小时内完成6吨粮食的第一次翻拌，然后每隔一段时间进行一次翻拌，重复数次之后进入下一道工序，将高粱和小麦酵母混合放进地窖发酵坑中，通过高温堆积发酵，渐渐形成茅台酒的特殊芳香物，也就是人们常说的酱香。

A bottle of 500 milliliter standard Moutai sells for 1,099 yuan ($180; 145 euros). In 2013, 17,000 tons of the liquor was sold, and revenue was 40.2 billion yuan.

茅台酒厂的专业品酒师邓青青表示，单单针对茅台酒芳香味的品鉴就足以作篇学术论文，可见想要用几个词简简单单地描述清楚茅台酒的芳香是很困难的。人们说的酱香不过是对茅台酒的独特香味的概述，想要品鉴出茅台酒中蕴藏的其他的芳香就因人而异，你可以从中品出菠萝亦或是梅子的芳香。根据个人的记忆中味道的不同，会品出不一样的茅台，但无论你品出的是苹果的芳香还是其他芳香，那都是茅台最真实的芳香。茅台不仅是酱香型白酒的典范，也是白酒的鼻祖。

茅台的基酒制作工艺也是别具匠心的，9次蒸煮、8次发酵、7次取酒就好像经历重重磨砺，每一次磨砺都能得到不一样的味道，最终才能制成独特的茅台酒。茅台的基酒要经过至少3年的土陶缸窖藏，才能进行勾兑调味，作为酿造茅台的技术核心，勾兑调味完全依靠茅台在白酒酿造工艺上的经验积累，是茅台品酒师舌尖上的舞蹈。

我们都知道每一个土陶缸中装的茅台基酒都是不一样的，它们之间或多或少总是存在细微的差别，但是所有经过勾兑调味的基本都能形成茅台酱香统一的标志性的味道。

And Moutai, also billed as the national liquor of China, has its timehonored craft and history to thank, officials say.

The seasonal steps of adding ingredients involve a lot of manual labor. Sorghum lying in piles is soaked with hot water by hand. Barefoot workers then constantly aerate the piles with shovels, they spend two hours of aeration for every six tons of grain, officials say.

The grains are allowed to rest and then go through this several times until the next stage, where they are put in dungeon-like fermentation pits with wheat-originated yeast and gradually acquire their famous sauce aroma scent.

Subtle scents, from pineapple to preserved plum, are woven into the liquor, and some come out more than others, depending on the taster. But according to Deng Qingqing, a certified baijiu-taster and manager of a workshop at Moutai, the sauce smell cannot be pinned down in scientific terms. It is all about recognizing the integral, complex scent that is Moutai and comparing it with one’s own experience, Deng says.

“Where one might detect a whiff of apple fragrance, another may remember it as something else, but both will be able to tell real Moutai from others.”

The distilling is done in seven steps, each time separating a batch of base liquor that assumes its own flavor. Three years after aging in clay pots, they are ready for blending. This step, easily the most intriguing part of Moutai production, relies almost entirely on experts’palates.

Each clay pot of base liquor has its own nuanced aroma from individual procedures such as the hand-turning, but blending will merge them to form the signature Moutai fragrance and taste. It is a taste that company officials say has no standardized formula.

“We are still studying the ingredients of Moutai.” says Ji, the 76-yearold chairman.

So it is the blenders, relying on their sensitivity and experience, whoproduce a consistent stream of Moutai despite variations in batches.

“在茅台工作期间，我已经喝了将近两吨的茅台酒。”已经76岁的季克良表示，到现在他们都还在研究茅台酒，想要完全解开茅台芳香的密码。

菜肴年年味不同，而茅台却能依靠勾兑师的经验和敏感度保持着优良的口感体验，给饮酒人品质如一的保证。经得起时间的锤炼的精湛酿酒工艺是茅台可以脱颖而出并成功从万国博览会上揽得金奖享誉中外的原因。

让茅台人可以津津乐道的故事简直是汗牛充栋。

20世纪30年代红军长征经过茅台镇，感受到了茅台的魅力，温暖了艰难时期长征的中国军人的心，振奋了军队的士气。中国白酒文化博物馆的导游林颖说：“茅台酒对鼓舞长征红军的士气起到了关键的作用。”

1949年10月1日新中国成立，举国欢庆的日子，这样的日子怎能少了酒，而茅台就是放在国宴上的那瓶酒。1971年中国重返联合国合法席位，作为宴会用酒的茅台“见证”了那激动人心的时刻。1972年美国总统尼克松访华，拉开了中美建交的新篇章，时任总理周恩来用茅台招待了尼克松。（至今茅台酒厂主楼前还竖立着周恩来的塑像，他是国酒茅台之父）。

葡萄酒独特细致的品酒方式不适用于茅台这样的烈性白酒。

白酒也有属于自己的独特品鉴方法，对于那些想要更进一步细细品味白酒的人而言，茅台酒厂专业品酒师邓青青给出的建议或许值得参考。

她通过一瓶陈年茅台（它的年限是保密的）演示了如何品鉴茅台，这同时也是辨别真假茅台酒的方法。

第一步是观其色，真正优质的茅台会有明显的挂杯痕迹，且似丝绸一般，透明清澈，随着酒年限的增加，会呈现一丝丝啤酒色。

第二步是闻其味，茅台有标志性的酱香，虽然每个人感受到的气味不尽相同，但茅台的酱香却是沁人心脾，让人心情舒畅的。

最后就是尝其味。让茅台轻轻地布满你的舌头，感受到茅台丰富的味道，舌尖上的甘甜，舌苔两侧的微酸，以及舌根的丝苦。丝滑的茅台进入喉咙，有经验的喝酒人在入喉后就知道酒的度数（53度）。

真正的茅台喝了之后不会上头，即便是饮用大量的茅台，醉酒反应也很快会消失。但是最好按个人的量走，喝到似醉非醉的点是最好的。

That time-honored method is part of the reason why Moutai stands out, officials say, including at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, where it won a gold medal and first made its name abroad.

There are other stories that people at people like to tell.

Like the healing, warming power Moutai had on the Red Army when it passed through Moutai town and took the liquor with them during their arduous mid-1930s Long March, a journey pivotal to the army’s survival.

“They used it to cure the wounds, and warm up and boost their spirits in very hard times,” says Lin Ying, a guide at the local Museum of the Culture of Chinese Liquor. “Moutai invigorated them.”

The drink was on the banquet table on the night of Oct 1, 1949, on the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It was taken to New York to the United Nations for the celebratory occasion when China joined the international body in 1971. Late premier Zhou Enlai entertained former US president Richard Nixon with the liquor during the latter’s crucial 1972 visit. (A statue of Zhou now stands in the front of Moutai’s main building.)

The meticulous tasting techniques used for fine wines do not apply to Moutai, a hard liquor made to be downed in shots from tiny cups.

But there are ways to appreciate this strong drink for those wishing to study it more closely, and they are also useful if you are trying to distinguish the authentic Kweichow Moutai from others. Certified baijiu taster Deng Qingqing, from the company, offers some tips for savoring the drink, using a bottle of “old”Moutai (whose exact age is kept confidential) for demonstration. First, Deng says, observe the liquid in the cup. Real Moutai should adhere a little to the cup’s side and have a slightly oily look. A watery look is not good. Real Moutai should be clear, acquiring a little tinge of beer-like gold as the years pass.

Then sniff the liquid for the signature “sauce aroma”. Though the exact nature of the Moutai scent often differs for different tasters, the fragrance should be pleasant and clean.

Savor Moutai by spreading a thin layer on the tongue. Moutai should demonstrate a complex combination of flavors, bringing a small sweet sensation to the tip of the tongue, tartness to the sides and a little bitterness at the back of the tongue. The liquor should go down smoothly. Also, a seasoned drinker should be able to distinguish the strength of the alcohol (53 percent) at this stage.

It is best to drink moderately and responsibly, not exceeding the point of slight tipsiness, a euphoric stage that drinkers consider the best thing about Moutai.

国际游客“偏爱”中国3大城市

Three Chinese Cities Become Popular Travel Destinations

美国万事达卡最新发布世界旅行目的地指数研究显示，2009年至2015年，中国的成都、西安和台北三大城市接待的国际游客人次大幅增长，并在全球增速排行榜上分别排名第二、第六和第七。报告显示，受益于近年来城市吸引的大量投资，成都近年来接待的入境游客人次增长迅猛，今年入境游客人次将从2009年的48万猛增至149万，增长速度全球第二，仅次于斯里兰卡首都科伦坡。

MasterCard has released their Global Destination Cities Index ranking popular travel destinations, showing that three Chinese cities have shot up the list in terms of international tourist numbers.Specifically, Chengdu, Xi’an and Taipei each ranked at second, sixth, and seventh places on the index in terms of international tourists received from 2009-2015. The report showed that Chengdu made an especially huge leap. The city, having benefited from receiving a large amount of investments, went from attracting just 480,000 tourists in 2009 to getting 1.49 million in 2015. It ranked second only to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

外国人在北京、上海购物可离境退税

Tax-Free Shopping Available for Beijing and Shanghai Departures

2015年7月1日起，北京市和上海市开始实施离境退税政策。北京和上海也成为境外旅客购物离境退税政策扩围的首批实施城市。在此之前，中国仅在海南试点这一政策。退税物品的退税率为11%。换句话说，如果境外旅客在退税商店买了1000元的退税物品，理论上可以拿到110元的退税款。

Beijing and Shanghai began to implement a tax refund policy for departing international visitors on July 1, becoming the second and third places in China to have such a policy. The tax deduction rate stipulated by the new policy will equate to 11%. In other words, if international visitors make a purchase worth 1000 RMB, they can theoretically receive up to a 110 RMB discount in tax reductions.

外国人在京购房流程简化

House Purchasing Made Easier for Foreigners in Beijing

境外个人在北京购房，可以不用再提交纸质的《境外个人在境内居留状况证明》，市住建委和市公安局将对境外人员的购房资格进行联网审核。按照国家的相关政策，此前，境外个人（不含港澳台居民和华侨）在境内购房，要在境内工作超过一年。因此，在购房时，需要提交相应的居留证明。北京则需要提供纸质版的《境外个人在境内居留状况证明》。这次变化与境外人员购房资格标准没有任何关系，其实就是实际操作中，居留状况已经实现了联网审查，所以本着方便办事人的原则，取消了纸质版资料的提交，直接使用联网审查。

Foreigners looking to buy a house in Beijing no longer need to submit a hardcopy form proving their residence status in China. Instead, the affiliated authorities will be able to check the information online.According to the national policy, foreigners buying houses in China have to work for over a year and provide proof of their residency for that time. Up until now, Beijing had required that proof to be a hard copy. Now, however, that process has been made electronic.