Quality Faith Survived Political Purges

“The third of the “Moutai Six Principles”: Quality above all as faith At the Moutai Distillery, if there is corporate faith, then quality is the only belief. Even in extremely harsh and tumultuous times, this faith was not abandoned. During those years of “movements,” the leadership of the distillery experienced turmoil, yet the three technical deputy directors appointed in 1956 worked stably until retirement. This was not the result of active perseverance by the company but was due to a special case: because of the special connection of the “Three Crossings of the Chishui River,” Moutai was favored by Premier Zhou Enlai and high-ranking generals. As early as during the founding ceremony of the nation, it was one of the designated national banquet wines. Moreover, in the fields of Chinese diplomacy and foreign trade, Moutai once played a unique role.”

“During the planned economy era, the quality control system of Moutai was very strict. For the distillery, “quality is the greatest politics,” the enterprise could be non-profit, could have no scale—in many years, it was indeed in such a painful state—but the quality of the wine had to be guaranteed supremely. Over time, the “quality faith” integrated into the blood of the enterprise, becoming as unchangeable as a gene. When the market economy arrived, this “obsessive” insistence earned Moutai a huge number of loyal users.”