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 you focus, gather your thoughts, and complete tasks.
Wuliangye traces its origins to Yibin, Sichuan, where grain fermentation dates back to 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; the latter was 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 Chinese historians say it appeared during the reign of the Great Ming, which ruled from 1368 to 1644. It was then that the hot beverage baijiu was invented, a cross between vodka (in alcohol content) and liqueur (in flavor saturation). The current name was adopted in 1905.
In 1959, the formula for traditional Chinese liquor was standardized and finalized for industrial production. Since then, it has not changed, and Wuliangye Yibin has produced it in this formulation. It is called “Five Grains Liquid” and includes five kinds of organic grains: wheat, long-grain rice, sticky rice, corn, and millet. This baijiu brand averages 520 million nine-liter cases in annual sales, exceeding worldwide vodka sales during the same period.
What is Wuliangye?
Wuliangye is a Chinese baijiu vodka brand. It is 35-60% ABV, and its 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 Chinese spirits distillery expanded its marketing strategy beyond a single state to include 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 in 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 brand’s visual identity mark conveys stability and has remained the same for many years. It has not changed, staying true to tradition and the original concept. The original logo combines the liquor’s name in Chinese and English, with icons surrounding it.
The logo’s central element is a stylized tower made of five equal-length lines: four curved, diverging outward, and one straight, arranged vertically. A red ring of similar width surrounds them. A red circle with a white fill and the English letter “W” in the middle. This is the first letter of the alcoholic beverage’s name.
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 brand’s Chinese name has been part of the Wuliangye logo since 1957. It is rendered in an elegant handwritten national script and conveys the sophistication, poise, and chic of the clear liquid extracted from Five Grains. 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 brand’s trademark palette 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.