Maotai Town 茅台镇

About Maotai Town

From 1915 Square, steps lead towards Yangliuwan’s liquor-themed commercial street. China Liquor Culture City provides a separate museum-style introduction to brewing, while the riverside memorial area tells a different part of the town’s story. A town visit does not automatically include entry to working distilleries, so distinguish public streets, museums and production facilities.

The name 'Maotai' comes from a sacrificial platform covered in thatch grass by the ancient Liao people (古獠人), called the 'thatch sacrificial platform' and shortened to 'Maotai.' In the Yuan dynasty the settlement was recorded as Maotai Village. In 1745, during the Qianlong era (乾隆), Guizhou governor-general Zhang Guangsi (张广泗) opened the Chishui River to shipping and established the Ren'an Wharf (仁岸码头) at Maotai; the resulting trade led to a brief renaming as 'Yishang Zhen,' but the older name persisted and the settlement became known as Maotai Town.

Liquor production had already reached a substantial scale by the Jiaqing and Daoguang eras, according to the Zunyi Prefecture Gazetteer, which recorded Maotai's wine as the province's finest and counted at least twenty distilleries there; by the Guangxu era its liquors were sold well beyond Guizhou. The old brewing houses were destroyed when Taiping rebel forces under Shi Dakai (石达开) attacked Guizhou. The town was formally established in 1930, and after several administrative reorganizations the Renhuai county government relocated to Maotai in 1954; the present boundaries of Maotai town date from a 2015 administrative adjustment.

What to look for

• 1915 Square and Yangliuwan street reveal the town’s modern liquor-themed visitor district.
• The Maotai crossing memorial and riverside Red Army memorial area connect the town with Long March history.

Location & getting there

Getting to Maotai Town

The official directory locates the Maotai tourist-area approach beside the archway on Zhongmao Express Road in Maotai town, Renhuai. Arrange the final transfer specifically to 1915 Square, the riverfront or China Liquor Culture City according to your first stop.