Wuliangye Logo PNG
The drink represented by the Wuliangye logo is as popular in China as the Eiffel Tower is in France. Its moderate use helps to focus, collect thoughts, and complete tasks.
Wuliangye traces its origins to Yibin, Sichuan, where grain fermentation was recorded as early as the Tang era (618-907). Under the Song dynasty, Yao Junyu refined a five-grain drink made from sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, wheat, and millet. In 1098, poet Huang Tingjian wrote 17 poems about it.
From 1368, during the Ming dynasty, the Chen family developed the “Chen formula” and built clay fermentation pits. Fifty-six Ming-era pits are still used and protected as cultural heritage in China. Their long use created a microbial base central to Wuliangye’s production.
The modern name appeared in 1909, when scholar Yang Huiquan proposed “Wuliangye,” meaning “Liquid of Five Grains,” at a banquet in Yibin. In 1915, the brand won a gold medal at the Panama International Exposition in San Francisco. In 1952, eight old Yibin distilleries, including Lichuan Yong, Changfasheng, and Quan Hengchang, merged into one state enterprise. In 1959, it became Wuliangye Distillery.
In 1963, Wuliangye entered China’s National Wine Competition. By the late 20th century, its Yibin complex covered 10 square kilometers. Its main rival was Kweichow Moutai. In 1989, Wuliangye worked with the Chinese Academy of Sciences on a computerized blending system. In 1998, Wuliangye Group Co., Ltd. and Wuliangye Yibin Co., Ltd. were established, with the latter listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange under the code 000858. In 2014, Wuliangye partnered with Brown-Forman, owner of Jack Daniel’s. By 2023, it ranked second among the world’s most valuable alcohol brands, after Kweichow Moutai.
Meaning and History
Alcohol Wuliangye has deep roots, and according to Chinese historians, it appeared during the reign of the Great Ming, who ruled from 1368 to 1644. It was then that the hot beverage baijiu was invented, a cross between vodka (in terms of alcohol content) and liqueur (in terms of flavor saturation). The current name also came to it a long time ago, in 1905.
In 1959, the formula for traditional Chinese liquor was standardized and finalized for industrial production. Since then, it has not changed and is produced by Wuliangye Yibin in this formulation. In particular, it is called “Five Grains Liquid,” which includes five kinds of organic grains: wheat, long-grain rice, sticky rice, corn, and millet. The annual sales volume of this brand of baijiu averages 520 million nine-liter cases, exceeding the amount of vodka sold worldwide during the same period.
What is Wuliangye?
Wuliangye is a brand of Chinese vodka called baijiu at home. Its strength is 35-60%, and the recipe dates back to the Ming dynasty. The Wuliangye Yibin Company has been producing liquor since 1998. Now it is the most common alcohol in the country.
In 2011, the marketing strategy of the Chinese spirits distillery went beyond a single state and expanded into the Americas. That’s when Wuliangye’s advertising appeared in the heart of the U.S., in Times Square, New York. The following year, the Chinese named a new airport built in the city of Yibin, where the vodka is produced, after the vodka. In 2017, Wuliangye was officially recognized as one of the fastest-growing brands globally and ranked among the top 500 brands worldwide.
The visual identity mark of this brand is characterized by stability and has looked the same for many years. It does not change at all, staying true to tradition and the concept laid down. The original logo is a composition of the liquor’s name in Chinese and English, with icons surrounding it.
The central element of the logo is a stylized tower composed of five lines of equal length: four curved, diverging outward, and one straight, arranged vertically. A red ring of similar width surrounds them. A circle with a white filler and the English symbol “W” is also colored red in the middle. This is the first letter of the name of the alcoholic beverage.
Under the round icon is a two-line text element. The word in the upper row is the name of the Chinese vodka in the country’s language. The inscription on the bottom line reflects its name in the language of the state to which it is delivered, that is, in English. In the first case, it is in hieroglyphics; in the second, in antiqua.
Font and Colors
The Chinese name of the brand has been present in the Wuliangye logo since 1957. It is made in an elegant handwritten national script and conveys the sophistication, poise, and chic of the clear liquid extracted from Five Grains Liquid. The English text is typed in the classic typeface with fine lines and serifs. The letter “W” in the center of the circular ring is printed in bold grotesque.
The trademark palette of this brand is red and white. The first is used for all logo elements; the second serves as a background. Together, they convey the passion and warmth of the best Chinese baijiu.