China’s favourite tipple falls flat on alcohol bans and Gen Z’s changing tastes

WorldAsiaAlcohol Maotai, China | At a rare conference for international executives hosted by China’s biggest liquor maker last month, guests sipped on blueberry juice instead of Kweichow Moutai’s signature spirit.The teetotal banquet – which came after nationwide prohibitions on lavish government spending, including on alcohol, were expanded in May – is an example of a tougher terrain for the maker of baijiu, an intense spirit favoured by China’s former leader Mao Zedong and for decades a fixture of official functions.Loading...Financial Times or Subscribe to save articleEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreAlcohol Mao ZedongChinaMillennialsGen ZFood & drinkRetail Fetching latest articlesWe met a professional shoplifter to understand this crime’s popularityGreg Bearup and Carrie LaFrenzShaken, stirred and a little smoky: three cocktails to define summerThis restaurant is stuck in the past. That’s what makes it greatCurtis Stone’s $4m flop forced him to rethink everythingSally PattenThe secret weapon boards are deploying to survive AGM seasonThe $1m nap: What truly separates great CEOs from the 5am clubThis is one of the best still-photography phones of all timeJohn DavidsonLenny Kravitz turns back the clock on his body (of work)How ‘tower running’ can supercharge your fitnessGoldman Sachs dealmaker lists $22m Brighton mansion with two poolsSarah Petty‘I was sitting on a bench’: How a chance encounter led to a $5b empireBillionaire Shahin family takes stake in Perth payment fintech Bless