Qu Ting's love affair with wine began in 2008. After arriving in Germany to study at university, Qu, born in Karamay in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was placed with a local host couple. She soon became well acquainted with the old couple, who happened to live in a wine-producing area.

It was here that her encounter with wine began. "The landlord couple was very nice and embraced me into their family," Qu recalled of her student days in Germany. "They taught me how to taste wine and opened a new world for me."

As a naturally studious girl, Qu started to learn about the history of wine and the processes of manufacturing it. As her fixation with the wine industry grew, she happened upon her now-husband, Xu Xianzhong, who shared the same interest in wine.

When Qu and Xu got wind of news that a centenary chateau was coming up for auction in Germany, they decided to take a leap into the unknown and become wine farmers. A fierce bidding war ensued, and, after repeated attempts, they won the bid for the chateau.

From that moment, their journey as novice wine farmers began. Since the two were still deep into their university studies, they knew it wouldn't be an easy task ahead. However, after some grit and determination, their newly-founded German chateau began gaining in popularity.

A year after buying the chateau, Qu and Xu invited several German chateau owners to China and held wine exhibitions in Beijing, Hangzhou and Changsha. Spotting an opportunity in the market, they decided set up a trading company – Bayern Wine Store – in Wuchang, Hubei.

It wasn't until 2014 that Qu finally reached the end of her studies; all while running her wine businesses in Germany and China. It was then that she began longing for her hometown. She decided to take a break from her comfortable life in Germany and return to Karamay. "I always had a dream of letting my hometown people have a try of wine of different tastes," said Qu.

Over a year passed since she had returned and, in December 2015, Nana' Wine opened for business in Karamay's Hanbo Business Street. In the city that had given her so much as a child, Qu is giving something back – her very own wine from Qu's Chateau.

Qu Ting and her German friends [Photo provided to China Daily]

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