From Heritage to Innovation: What Makes Shede the Biggest Highlight of Spring Sugar?

Ask AI · How does Shede Old Liquor Festival make traditional brewing culture lively and approachable?

Produced by | China Visitor Network

Reviewed by | Li Xiaoyan

Spring is warm and bright, and the city is filled with the aroma of wine. As the 2026 Spring Sugar and Wine Fair begins, Shede Distillery once again becomes the industry focus with a brand feast that combines cultural depth and experiential warmth. On March 21, the “With Shede, Embrace Spring” Fifth Old Liquor Festival and Spring Brewing Sealing Ceremony successfully concluded at Tuopai Shede Cultural Tourism Area. From the solemn ancient sealing ceremony to the trendy, diverse old liquor carnival, and to the lively, relaxed evening, Shede breaks out of the traditional white wine festival framework. Using ecology as the foundation, old liquor as the core, and experience as the link, it transforms brand heritage into a perceptible, resonant, and shareable lifestyle. During this deep industry adjustment period, it offers an ecological old liquor “free” solution.

The white liquor industry is shifting from channel-driven to user-value-driven, with cultural empowerment and scene innovation becoming key competitive tracks. As a pioneer in the commercialization of jar-aged old liquor, Shede has continuously built its old liquor festival IP for five years, achieving a comprehensive renewal this year. This event no longer limits itself to a single sealing ritual but integrates ancestral worship, ecological tourism, interactive experiences, and social circles, creating a three-dimensional experience space for both B-end merchants and C-end consumers. It brings ecological brewing, old liquor aging, and intangible cultural heritage crafts from behind the scenes to the forefront, upgrading from product output to value creation, from brand promotion to user empathy.

Culture as the soul, inheritance as the root. The Spring Brewing Sealing Ceremony, as the highlight of this year’s old liquor festival, redefines traditional brewing culture with a modern touch through a ceremonial experience. The event features renowned host Dou Wen Tao, whose intellectual and steady style complements Shede’s profound cultural heritage, adding a humanistic touch to the celebration. Centered on “Respect Heaven, Respect Earth, Respect Ancestors, Respect Brewing,” the ceremony restores ancient sacrificial rites, opening with the elegant music of the “Eight Array Dance.” The process includes purification, recitation, and offerings, demonstrating reverence for nature and tradition. The “Shede Six Rites” on-site offering links ecological raw grains, good water, fermentation mud, brewing yeast, aged old liquor, and the original spring brew, visually showcasing Shede’s full-chain ecological brewing advantages, making the promise that “every bottle is old liquor” tangible and concrete.

At the ceremony site, Shede’s management team elaborates on long-termism and innovation rooted in integrity. Chairman Pu Jizhou states that Shede has built a core barrier through decades of ecological brewing and aging “slow craftsmanship.” While adhering to traditional techniques, it activates the vitality of old liquor through technological innovation and youthful expression, transforming the brand from a product provider to an advocate of a better lifestyle. President Tang Huan emphasizes in the dialogue that ecological brewing embodies long-termism, driven by the multi-thousand-acre forest distillery and AI-powered fermentation pools, allowing traditional craftsmanship and modern technology to coexist and continuously upgrade the quality of old liquor. Additionally, exclusive sealing rituals create immersive experiences for guests, with hands-on sealing and personalized plaques, strengthening emotional bonds between consumers and the brand, turning old liquor culture from a symbol into a participatory and collectible personal memory.

Scene expansion, experience renewal. If the sealing ceremony showcases Shede’s cultural heritage, the old liquor carnival is an innovative practice bringing the brand closer to young consumers and deepening integration of wine and tourism. Relying on an ecological brewing industrial park with over 98% greenery, Shede transforms the natural oxygen bar into an experiential main stage, breaking down the boundaries between production and consumption scenes. Indoor areas feature old friends’ stages and card games, while outdoor spaces include camping zones, specialty bars, food markets, and interactive game zones. Guests can enjoy the charm of ecological old liquor through sightseeing, tasting, and socializing. This de-commercialized, experience-focused model accelerates the brand’s “full engagement with consumers,” making old liquor culture lively, friendly, and approachable.

The lively evening “Relax Night” and sealing banquet push the event atmosphere to a climax. From classic Sichuan cuisine performances to scenic poetry and wine dramas, drone light shows, and trendy parties, Shede covers diverse content to appeal to different age groups and preferences, encouraging participants to shift from passive reception to active sharing. As a national 4A-level tourist attraction, Tuopai Shede Cultural Tourism Area leverages the old liquor festival to realize resource value transformation, providing a replicable model for industry integration of wine and tourism. In the current white liquor competition focusing on mental recognition, Shede uses scene re-creation to connect the brand with users, building a differentiated brand perception through immersive experiences.

Long-term empowerment, strong momentum. On the eve of the old liquor festival, Shede’s 2025 financial report was released, showing steady growth in total assets and e-commerce revenue, demonstrating resilience under the long-term strategy. During the Spring Sugar and Wine Fair, Fosun International Chairman Guo Guangchang appeared at the Yabuli Forum and Shede Old Liquor Festival, endorsing the brand. He stated that Shede embodies Eastern wisdom and cultural warmth, and is a core part of Fosun’s happiness sector. Fosun will continue to support Shede’s development with long-term commitment, helping the brand unlock the core value of ecological old liquor. From resource linkage to strategic support, Fosun’s deep empowerment provides solid backing for Shede to navigate industry cycles.

Leveraging the traffic momentum of the old liquor festival, Shede launched a comprehensive regional deployment during the Spring Sugar and Wine Fair. High-intensity brand exposure in key offline commercial districts and transportation hubs, combined with creative parades, built a multi-layered communication matrix. Multiple brands, including Tuopai, Taozui, and Yelang Gu, launched new products covering popular light bottles, mid-range gatherings, and high-end sauce aroma scenarios, completing a full product matrix across price points. The market side coordinated with restaurants, bars, and other venues, offering customized packages and tiered tastings, along with free sampling activities, strengthening reputation for quality and value, and expanding consumer boundaries.

From the cultural dedication of the sealing ceremony to scene innovation at the old liquor carnival, and to Fosun’s long-term support, Shede’s fifth old liquor festival has achieved a comprehensive upgrade of brand value. Against the backdrop of industry stock competition and consumer upgrading, Shede has stepped out of price and channel wars, using ecology as the foundation, old liquor as the core, and experience as the key. It transforms time-honored resources into brand and user advantages. In the future, driven by long-termism and ecological strategies, Shede will continue to deepen its focus on old liquor, activate the vitality of traditional white liquor through cultural innovation, and reconstruct brand development with user-centric thinking. Through cyclical navigation, it aims to write a new chapter of steady growth, providing a Shede solution for high-quality development in China’s white liquor industry.