Mountain River and Sage Ka Pahu Makana Baijiu by Yao Wu

Mountain River and Sage Ka Pahu Makana Baijiu by Yao Wu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā ʻUhi Competition Category.

KalaʻUhi· 2026

Mountain River and Sage Ka Pahu Makana Baijiu

by Yao Wu

Client: Guizhou Jinsha Liquor Wine Cellar Co., Ltd.

A' Design Award Kala Winner in ʻUhi Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Mountain River and Sage Ka Pahu Makana Baijiu

He hoʻolālā pahu makana ʻo Mountain River and Sage no ka baijiu, he wai ʻona i hoʻoheheʻe ʻia mai Kina mai. Hana ʻia ka wahī waho me ka pepa kiʻi keʻokeʻo lehu me kahi lauhue keleawe kūmole i hoʻopaʻa ʻia me ke kaila haʻahaʻa loa. Ma loko, aia kekahi pahu kaila codex i hana ʻia me ka lāʻau ʻenekinia me ka ʻili lāʻau ʻoka, a wehe ʻia e like me ka puke. Wehewehe ʻia ka poʻi o loko i kiʻi ākea o Mauna Tai a me ka Muliwai Melemele, i paʻi ʻia ma ka pepa ʻāhuahua, e hoʻopuni ana i nā ʻōmole ʻekolu a me kahi palapala hōʻoia. Loaʻa ka hoʻolālā i ka hoʻoulu ʻana mai ka palapala honua moʻomeheu o ka Panalāʻau ʻo Shandong. Pani ke ʻano haʻahaʻa loa a hou i ke kaila kahiko i laha ma nā pahu wai ʻona.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Mountain River and Sage Ka Pahu Makana Baijiu i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Mountain River and Sage Ka Pahu Makana Baijiu he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Mountain River and Sage Ka Pahu Makana Baijiu e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This design is a complete ceremonial unboxing experience meticulously crafted for the high-end gifting market. Its core innovation lies in a three level narrative progression, transforming the packaging from a mere container into a spiritual and cultural journey.
Dimensions & Packaging: Length 300mm x Width 240mm x Height 190mm
Tags: Premium Gift, Baijiu Packaging, Ritualistic Design, Confucian Culture, Mount Tai,
Production Technology: The outer box utilizes premium matte white art paper with precision foil stamping for the minimalist bronze pattern to achieve a modern, luxurious feel. The inner codex box is constructed from lightweight, high density engineered wood with a natural oak veneer, providing a warm, tactile finish. The inner landscape panel is printed on textured museum quality paper to enhance the artistic scroll effect. Bottle labels feature a subtle relief printing technique to complement the packaging‘s refined aesthetic.
Design Challenge: How to embody profound Confucian culture within minimalist modern aesthetics without falling into superficial retro styling? The design solves through three ritual layers white box establishes modern ceremony, wooden box transforms into codex form, landscape scroll triggers spiritual resonance allowing "Li" to be seen, touched, and felt in the unboxing moment.
Research: This research explores how to translate the traditional Chinese cultural symbol "Li" through modern packaging language. Taking Shandong's "One Mountain, One River, One Saint" as the cultural matrix, it investigates a progressive unboxing experience from visual to tactile, from form to spirit, achieving contemporary expression of tradition in gifting scenarios.
Inspiration: The inspiration is drawn from the profound cultural geography of Shandong Province, symbolized by "One Mountain , One River , and One Saint ." We sought to break away from intricate retro styling commonly found in liquor packaging. Instead, we used a minimalist and modern ritualistic approach to carry this heavy cultural heritage.
Project Duration: The project started in Beijing in October 2025 and was completed in Beijing in December 2025.
Operation Flow: Reveal The user removes the sleek white outer sleeve, revealing the wooden "codex." This act signifies moving from the public brand promise to a personal discovery.
Open Lifting the wooden cover mimics opening a treasured book. The user is greeted not just by the product, but by the texture and smell of wood, creating an intimate prelude.
Unfold: The inner lid, designed as a multi page spread, unfolds to display a panoramic illustration of Mount Tai and the Yellow River. This "landscape scroll" frames the three bottles and the certificate, elevating the extraction of the product to a moment of spiritual appreciation.
Patents: /
Team Members: Original designer: Wu Yao , llustration designer: Zhang Yi, Illustration designer: Yang Xiaogang , Illustration designer: Li Yan, Graphic designer: Zheng Ziyang, Graphic designer: Zhao Yuehao, Graphic designer:Zhang YUchen，Graphic designer:Tan Zhen，3D Designer: Liao Hao ， Copywriting: Xu Xiaohui，Copywriting:Tang Wenhu
Image Credits: /