A wine taster examines and evaluates semifinished liquor at a distillery of Kweichow Moutai in Maotai town in the city of Renhuai in southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 23, 2018. Maotai is a small town in Renhuai City in mountainous Guizhou. What distinguishes it from other Chinese small towns is that it produces a famous brand of Chinese liquor Moutai, which often served on official occasions and at state banquets. The spirit, made from sorghum and wheat, takes up to five years for the whole production process, involving nine times of steaming, eight times of fermentation and seven times of distillation, before aged in clay pots. Moutai is also considered a luxury item that has long been a popular gift. China's alcohol industry earned about 1 trillion yuan in revenue in 2017. The total profits rose by 36 percent year on year to over 100 billion yuan, according to China National Light Industry Council. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaoyong)
