D/

DENIS FREITAS
ILLUSTRATOR
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

The Story of Baijiu

These illustrations were created for "The Story of Baijiu" on DrinkBaijiu.com, a site that explores the history and cultural roots of Baijiu, a traditional Chinese spirit made by MingRiver Baijiu distillery. The project draws from historical research by Derek Sandhaus, an author and expert on the subject.

Baijiu has been woven into Chinese culture for thousands of years, showing up in everything from daily rituals to art and philosophy. The illustrations dig into these connections and follow the drink's journey from ancient production techniques to how it fits into modern culture.

This page shows the visual development of the project, bringing together history, culture, and illustration through a series of scenes, from rough sketches to the finished pieces.

FILTERS
LOCAL
China
DATE
August 2018

JIAHU ● 7000 BC

INVENTION OF JIU  ●  1st millennium BC

Classic Age of Chinese Drinking  ●  1st millennium AD

ARRIVAL OF DISTILLATION ● Around 13th Century

Birth of Baijiu ● Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

Regionalization ● Qing and early Modern China

Modernization Post-1949: Following China’s Communist Revolution

Globalization ● Now