Moutai University, China's first university named after a liquor company, recruited its first 600 students from Guizhou province on Sept 9.

Located in the small town of Renhuai, Guizhou province, the university has established five undergraduate majors, including liquor-making, grape wine-making, food quality and safety, resource recycling sciences and engineering, and marketing.

Officials from Guizhou province and Moutai Group unveil the plaque of Moutai University on Sept 11. [Photo by Zhou Yuangang/xinhuanet.com]

The university was established in May and approved by the Ministry of Education on May 23. The first students enrolled include 550 science students and 50 liberal arts students, all from Guizhou province. Next year, the university expects to recruit students nationwide.

Kweichow Moutai, a distilled Chinese liquor produced in southwestern Guizhou province, is considered the country's national liquor and is often served at official occasions, such as State banquets.

"Kweichow Moutai Group now has nearly 30,000 personnel, but only 4,000 of them have bachelor's degrees or above, while only 1,200 people have received higher education in brewing or related majors," said Feng Xiaolun, president of Moutai University.

"We have to train graduates we recruit every year. A shortage of professionals has become a problem for the further development of Moutai Group," Feng added.

To change the situation, Moutai Group decided to set up a university to cultivate liquor-making talents.

Moutai Group has invested 1.88 billion yuan ($276.6 million) in the university since 2012, deciding to pour 1 percent of its annual sales into the university to develop future staff.

So far, the university has recruited 376 lecturers and professors. Meanwhile, Moutai Group will invite 39 senior professionals, such as national brewmasters, national liquor tasting judges and senior winemaking engineers, from the company to serve as practical instructors at the university.

In response to Guizhou province's strategy of highlighting education, Moutai Group has been actively supporting the education industry.

Apart from building its own university, Moutai Group has also donated more than 500 million yuan in five years to support poverty-stricken students, helping more than 100,000 students complete their education in colleges and universities.

Source from China Daily