Category Archives: Historical oddity

The Panamanian Connection, Pt. 2: Trouble in Luzhou

Posted on February 27, 2013 by

Longtime readers of 300 Shots will be familiar with my interest in the oft-repeated legend of baijiu’s triumphant showing at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. According to the story, several Chinese alcohol companies presented at the event – a World’s … Continue reading →

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Don’t drink the samshu

Posted on September 18, 2012 by

A couple months back we looked at early foreign encounters with baijiu, noting that the only positive reviews came from British sailors. Of course, this begs the question as to whether sailors actually liked drinking baijiu – “samshu,” as it … Continue reading →

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‘A peculiar oriental odor’

Posted on July 31, 2012 by

The love-hate (but mostly hate) relationship between baijiu and the outside world has been well documented. I’m doing my damnedest to win over a few new recruits to team baijiu, but I recognize that this is an uphill battle against … Continue reading →

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Burning man

Posted on June 27, 2012 by

Last weekend I was doing a little bit of light 19th century French Lazarist reading when I stumbled upon this alarming passage on baijiu: “One can hardly imagine what pleasure the Chinese find in imbibing these burning drinks, which are … Continue reading →

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Miracle in Dongbei?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

Last week Xinhua published a story whose headline announced, “Nation’s oldest brewery unearthed in northeast China.” The nation’s oldest brewery – Harbin – is indeed in Dongbei, but upon closer inspection this story was about the oldest distillery. The story … Continue reading →

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