Lijiang Pumi man turns hometown grapes into ice wine

Xiong Jianguang is a Pumi man native to the Lianshan village of Yongsheng county, northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang city.

The ice grape growing area in Lianshan village

For quite a while, Xiong and his wife served as technical executives at a renowned ice wine company in China.

Seeing the broad prospects of the ice wine market, the couple made a decision to return to their hometown and start a business. They hoped to contribute to local development through the ice wine industry.

 

The ice grape is harvested deep in winter.  

In 2019, they resigned from their high-paying jobs and established a 100-mu (approximately 6.67 hectares) ice grape cultivation base in Lianshan, situated at an altitude of 2,800 meters.

After four years of meticulous work, the base began to bear fruit in 2024, with an initial yield of nearly 3 tons. Using these grapes, Xiong produced high-quality ice wine and registered the Lijiang ice wine brand of "White Wolf Valley".

 

The Lijiang ice wine products with the brand of "White Wolf Valley"

Thanks to its unique taste, rich aroma, and smooth texture, the ice wine quickly gained market popularity. Last year, the total production reached 6 tons, primarily sold to high-end consumer markets in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.

Reporting by Li Tiecheng (Yunnan Daily); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue