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People who can still keep their composure and their gentlemen or ladies’ charm, under the influence of alcohol, would be deeply respected. Confucian thinking emphasizes the “wine virtues” for which the drinker is to uphold. Confucianists do not oppose having alcohol; using wine to pay tribute to ancestors, to provide for the aged and pay respect to guests are all considered virtuous acts. But to save crop supply, one should constrain the amount of wine used. Being overly drunk and unable to tell real life from alcohol-produced illusions is not an attitude favored by the Confucianists, who abides by the strict rule of “wine to deal respect, to treat illnesses, and to bring joy.” On special occasions, wine is indispensable. However, it is viewed as an item of luxury, since without it, daily life would not be impacted. There also exists a popular belief that “wine can disrupt one’s nature.” Since wine is addictive, large amounts of consumption can cause inebriety, which often lead to stirring of trouble or harm to health. People therefore see it as the source of disorder. So from ancient times to the present day, there has never been a shortage of people who advocates drinking morals and manners, and who conducts alcohol education and advise against excessive drinking. In current times, some government agencies have clearly imposed restrictions against their civil servants from drinking during lunch hour on a workday. For other specialized profeeions, even more definite alcohol restrictions exist. Drivers who drink and drive will be prosecuted by law.
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Chinese food culture Chinese food culture, Wine
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Wine since ancient times were closely interwoven with peoples’ daily lives. People use wine to pay tribute to ancestors, showing respect; or for self-enjoyment while writing poems and composing rhymes; or when treating friends and family, heightening the lively atmosphere. Wine undoubtedly holds a very important place in Chinese culture and living.
Ancient kings and princes’ banquets and feasts cannot go on without wine. All kinds of wine vessels therefore became important objects of courtesy. The most important of which were the bronze Jue, Zun, Yi and other drink containers which symbolize social status and ranks. From archeological findings around China, bronze wine vessels were once the fashion of the times. The lifting of the ban against wine for the common citizens usually takes place during times of changes in dynastic rule or the succession of sovereignty, as well as important imperial activities.
The Chinese in ancient times often used crops to make wine. Therefore a good or bad harvest during the year strongly influenced the decisions of the dynastic rulers to either impose wine ban or certain amount of wine tax. And correspondingly, a strong or weak year for wine production reflected the crop yield of the year. Wine in the past was directly related to people’s livelihood and taxation. Since the third year of the Tianhan period under Emperor Han Wudi (98 A.D.), after the central court exercised the exclusive right to sell and buy wine, duties collected from the wine industry became an important source of government treasury revenue of subsequent feudal dynasties.
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Chinese food culture Chinese food culture, Wine
Alcohol drinks are a kind of material culture shared by all nationalities of the world. Before the advent of distillation machines, wine could only be made the primitive way. Using crops to make wine is a special characteristic in Chinese alcohol-making history. The yellow wine, or rice wine, being one of the three main kinds of alcohol beverage (rice wine, grape wine and beer), is known as the model of oriental winemaking.
Winemaking and drinking originated in China long ago. Ancient writings point to multiple origins of alcoholic drinks, but only a small portion can be taken as true history. In common society, Dukang is worshipped as the god of wine, as he was the one who first made wine. However, as early as the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese already widely practiced the making of alcohol. From existing oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, we learn that many people of the Shang used wine as offerings to ancestors. At the same time, drinking wine was already popular. In more recent archeological excavations, Shang Dynasty winemaking sites were discovered. In 1980, in Henan Province, ancient wines from the late Shang period (about 3,000 years ago) was discovered in archaic tombs, and are now kept at Beijing Palace Museum. It can be considered the oldest wine in China. Being large in land mass and with abundant natural resources, China’s different agricultural crops, water quality and winemaking techniques in each region, gave birth to many excellent types of liquor throughout the land.
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Chinese food culture Chinese food culture, Wine
