The company that makes China's eye-wateringly strong Moutai drink is edging out Diageo, the owner of Johnnie Walker, as the world's most valuable liquor firm.

生产中国烈酒茅台的公司正逐渐取代尊尼获加(一种威士忌)的生产商迪阿吉奥，而成为世界上最有价值的酒水公司。

Kweichow Moutai, whose fiery¹ signature product has an alcohol content of 53%, hit a market capitalization of $71.5 billion last Friday, pushing it past Diageo.

以烈著称、酒精浓度达到了53%的贵州茅台，市场资本总额在上周五升至715亿美元，从而使得茅台酒业超过了迪阿吉奥。

Based in the southwestern province of Guizhou, Moutai makes a high-end type of baijiu, a popular Chinese liquor distilled² from sorghum³ and rice. The company's stock has been on a tear this past year, soaring more than 50%.

茅台酒业位于中国西南部的贵州省，专门生产高档白酒。白酒是一种在中国很流行的酒水，由高粱和大米酿制而成。该公司的股票在去年一路飙升，涨幅超过了50%。

Moutai has a storied place in Chinese culture and is considered the "drink of diplomacy⁴." It was used to toast President Richard Nixon on his landmark⁵ trip to China in 1972.

茅台在中国文化中有着一席之地，它被视作是外交之酒。1972年理查德·尼克松总统访华时就是用的茅台为他祝酒。

To this day, Moutai is considered the gift to give and the drink of choice to toast with on special occasions, especially big business deals.

在今天，茅台经常被用作人们馈赠的礼品，同时也是特殊场合用于庆祝的首选，尤其是在大型的企业谈生意时。

That's made it a staple⁶ at lavish⁷ banquets, the very ones discouraged by Chinese President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign.

这使得茅台酒成了那些奢侈大型宴会的主要用酒，不过这也是国家主席习近平在反腐运动中所极力禁止的。

As the campaign got under way in 2012, Moutai sales took an initial hit, but that didn't last long.

随着2012年反腐运动的兴起，茅台的销量遭到了第一次的冲击，但这并没有持续太久。

They got smart, said Shaun Rein⁸, the founder⁹ of China Market Research in Shanghai. Moutai cut prices to make its baijiu more affordable¹⁰ and broadened distribution to make it more accessible, according to Rein.

上海中国市场研究集团的创始人雷小山表示，茅台酒业很聪明，它们降低了白酒的价格，从而使更多的人买得起，进而拓宽了茅台的市场。

The drinks maker¹¹ turned its attention to a wider, younger consumer base rather than the government officials to whom it had traditionally appealed.

该酒水制造商将销售对象转向了更多的更年轻的消费者，而不是传统地依赖于政府官员。