For thousands of years, Chinese have drunk spirits with meals and during festivals.
Traditional drinkers are fond of white spirits (or baijiu ) which are high in alcohol content.
'Taking white spirits is a traditional habit. As the saying goes: What is a feast without white spirits?' said Nie Fengying , Shanghai representative of Shanxi Xinghuacun Fenjiu Distillery, China's second-largest distillery.
'Northerners and peasants prefer strong drinks with high alcohol content. There is no 'oomph' in a weak drink and they don't get any satisfaction from it,' Ms Nie said.
The market for white spirits in China is enormous.
'Traditional drinkers are northerners and people living in rural areas. We are talking about 900 million people,' she said.
However, drinking habits have recently taken on a new dimension as city dwellers and southerners turn to lighter spirits for reasons of health and climate.
