Brands,Branding and Regional Cluster Development:The Emerging Economic Geographies of the Chinese Baijiu Industry

This paper investigates the vigorous economy of the Chinese Baijiu(a traditional liquor) with regard to the specific brands,their production and consumption and marketing,intersected with provincial and regional identities.The paper explores the ecological,cultural,social and political forces favoring or obstructing the Baijiu products' branding across various provinces and regions.The Baijiu production largely falls into four categories,and clusters around seven distinct areas within the Upper Yangtze River Baijiu Agglomeration.These industrial areas have distinct development trajectories and branding strategies,impacted by factors such as environment,culture,brand identity and regional policy.The paper suggests that further work be done to gather research,to further strategize the branding,and to integrate the Chinese regional clusters into global value chains and global development.