China’s most influential wine and spirits market has elected its youngest-ever industry leader, signalling a generational transition as the country’s alcohol sector grapples with slowing consumption and sweeping changes in consumer behaviour.
At age 30, Wen Sicong, vice chairman of Dragon’s Journey, has been elected chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Alcohol Industry Association, becoming the first person born in the 1990s to lead a provincial-level alcohol industry association in China. The election took place during the association’s board meeting in Guangzhou.
The appointment places a millennial born in 1996 at the helm of an association representing China’s largest and most sophisticated provincial drinks market.
The leadership change comes at a pivotal moment for the industry.
After decades of rapid expansion, China’s wine market has contracted sharply as economic uncertainty, changing drinking habits and the rise of digital retail reshape alcohol consumption. Traditional distributors, many built by first-generation entrepreneurs during the industry’s boom years, are increasingly confronting succession planning while adapting to a more competitive marketplace.
“This position is one of service, not self-indulgence,” Wen said after his election, pledging to help modernise Guangdong’s alcohol industry, strengthen local brands and promote greater collaboration across the sector.
His election is also symbolic of a broader transfer of leadership.
Wen is part of China’s so-called “jiu er dai,” or second generation of family-run liquor businesses. His father, Wen Wenlong, founded Dragon’s Journey in 1988, one of Guangdong’s earliest specialist alcohol distributors. The company has since grown into one of southern China’s largest drinks distributors, representing leading baijiu brands including Jiannanchun, Luzhou Laojiao, Xijiu and Guotai, while also building a substantial imported wine business.
Dragon’s Journey was also among the pioneers of China’s imported wine boom. Its proprietary Golden Butterfly label, developed with Spain’s Felix Solis in 2004, became one of China’s best-known OEM imported wine brands, with distribution spanning supermarkets, restaurants and nightlife venues across the country.
The succession extends beyond a single family.
Several other second-generation executives were also elected as vice chairmen of the Guangdong association, underscoring a broader effort by the province’s drinks industry to bring younger business leaders into positions of influence.
The shift is particularly significant in Guangdong, which has long served as China’s gateway for imported wines and spirits. According to figures released by the association, the province’s alcohol market was worth about 52.1 billion yuan (US$7.6 billion) in 2025. Shenzhen alone consumes an average of 2.1 litres of wine per person annually, about 62% above the national average, making it one of China’s most mature wine markets.
Guangdong is also home to some of the country’s most influential wine importers, including Aussino World Wines & Spirits, Jointek Fine Wines and Dragon’s Journey.
Many of those businesses, however, remain founder-led. As consumer preferences evolve, digital commerce expands and traditional wholesale channels lose momentum, younger executives are increasingly being called upon to lead both their family businesses and the broader industry into its next phase.
Wen’s election suggests that in Guangdong, China’s oldest generation of drinks entrepreneurs has begun formally handing over the reins not only within their companies, but also across the institutions that shape one of the country’s most important alcohol markets.
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