China has a long history and splendid culture, and many ethnic groups distributed all over the country have brewed rich and colorful folk wine customs. Some wine customs have been passed down to this day.
The Traditional Foundation of Drinking Culture —— Wine Morality and Wine Ceremony
Historically, Confucianism was regarded as the orthodox view of governing the country and keeping the country safe, and the custom of wine was also influenced by the Confucian view of wine culture. Confucianism pays attention to the word "wine virtue".
The word "wine virtue" first appeared in Shangshu and Shijing, meaning that drinkers should have virtue, instead of "subverting virtue and being desolate in wine" like Wang. Shangshu Wine Patent embodies the Confucian wine morality, that is, "drinking only at the time of sacrifice" (drinking only at the time of sacrifice); "No Yi wine" (drink from time to time, drink less at ordinary times to save food, and only drink when you are sick); "drinking in groups" (people are forbidden to drink in groups); "No indulgence" (no drinking). Confucianism is not opposed to drinking, and it is a virtue to worship the gods and provide for the elderly.
As a food culture, drinking has formed a etiquette that everyone must abide by in ancient times. Sometimes this etiquette is very complicated. But if you don't comply on some important occasions, you will be suspected of insurrection. Because I drink too much, I can't control myself and get into trouble easily. It is important to make drinking etiquette. Yuan Hongdao in Ming Dynasty, seeing that drinkers don't keep the wine ceremony when drinking, deeply felt the responsibility of their elders, so he collected a lot of information from ancient books and wrote an article "Zheng Zheng". Although this is written for drinkers, it also has certain significance for ordinary drinkers. China ancient drinking has the following etiquette:
When the host and guests drink together, they should bow to each other. When the younger generation drinks in front of their elders, they usually bow first and then sit in the second seat. The elders ordered the younger generation to drink, and the younger generation could raise a glass; The elder hasn't finished the wine in the cup, so the younger generation can't drink it first.
There are about four steps in ancient drinking etiquette: worship, sacrifice, vomiting and death. Is to make a gesture of worship to show respect, and then pour a little wine on the ground to thank the earth for its richness; Then taste wine and praise it to make the host happy; Finally, I raised my glass and drank it.
At the banquet, the host will propose a toast to the guests (called reward), and the guests will reciprocate to the host (called Qiang), and there will be several toasts when making a toast. Guests can also toast each other (called travel rewards). Sometimes you have to toast people in turn (order wine). When toasting, both the toaster and the toasted should "avoid the table" and stand up. The usual toast is three cups.
Among the 56 ethnic groups in the big family of the Chinese nation, except the Hui people who believe in Islam, all other ethnic groups drink alcohol. The custom of drinking has its own unique style.
Primitive Religion, Sacrifice, Funeral and Wine
Since ancient times, wine has been one of the necessities of sacrifice.
Primitive religion originated from witchcraft. In ancient China, wizards used the so-called "supernatural power" for various activities, and they all used alcohol. There is no difference between ancient wizards and doctors. As a medicine, wine is one of the standing medicines of witch doctors. The ancient rulers thought: "The great event of a country lies in worshipping the army." . In sacrificial activities, wine, as a beautiful thing, should first be given to heaven, gods and ancestors. War determines the life and death of a tribe or country. Warriors who go out to war should use wine to stimulate their fighting spirit before leaving. This shows the relationship between wine and state affairs. Zhou Li, which reflects the system of Zhou and Warring States, has clear regulations on sacrificial wine. For example, when offering sacrifices, eight kinds of wine are used, including "five spirits" and "three wines". In ancient times, people who presided over sacrificial activities had great power. In primitive society, wizards were mainly responsible for worshipping ghosts and gods and praying for others. Later, there was a "wine festival", which hosted a toast to the gods at the banquet.
All ethnic groups in our country generally use wine to worship their ancestors, and funerals also hold some ceremonies with wine.
After death, relatives and friends will come to mourn the dead. The custom of the Han nationality is "vegetarian", which is called "tofu rice" in some places, and it is a banquet held at the funeral. Although they are all vegetarians, wine is still essential. Some ethnic minorities use wine and meat in mourning. For example, when Miao people hear the funeral letter, people in the same village usually send a few kilograms of wine, rice, incense sticks and other things, and relatives send more wine, such as a son-in-law sending 20 kilograms of white wine and a pig. When you lose your family, you must hold a banquet to entertain the mourners. In Nujiang area of Yunnan, if someone dies in the village, all families bring wine to mourn. The wizard pours the wine into the mouth of the deceased and everyone drinks a glass of wine, which is called "farewell wine". After the dead are buried, it is an ancient custom to put wine in the tomb, so that the dead can enjoy drinking in the underworld. Han people bring wine and meat to the graves of the dead in Tomb-Sweeping Day.
In some important festivals, when holding family dinners, seats should be reserved for the deceased ancestors. At this time, the head of the family can only sit in a secondary position, put food and wine for the ancestors, and signal the ancestors to drink or eat, before the family can start drinking and eating. Candles, a glass of wine and some dishes should be inserted in front of the statues of ancestors to express their frustration and respect for the dead.
Drinking custom in three festivals.
China people have corresponding drinking activities on several major festivals in a year, such as drinking "calamus wine" on Dragon Boat Festival, "chrysanthemum wine" on Double Ninth Festival and "New Year wine" on New Year's Eve. In some places, such as Jiangxi folk, after transplanting rice in spring, people should get together to drink, especially when celebrating the harvest. When the banquet is exhausted, it is often "every family is drunk."
China New Year, also known as New Year's Eve, is the most important festival in China, and it is also a day for family reunion. New Year's Eve is the most abundant banquet in a year. Even if you are poor, you don't drink much at ordinary times. The wine for the New Year's Eve is essential. After dinner, some people still have the custom of drinking and vigil. On the first day of the first month, in some places, people generally do not go out. From the second day of the first month, they began to visit. When the guests come to the door, the host will put the exquisite dining tables already prepared on the table and pour wine for the New Year.
At the beginning of the lunar new year, the ancients had the custom of drinking for a family. When drinking, they drink in turn from small to large. It is said that drinking this wine can avoid the plague.
South Korea's "New Year's Wine": This kind of wine is mostly brewed before "New Year's Day". The Lunar New Year is equivalent to the Spring Festival of the Han nationality. "Lunar New Year Wine" takes rice as the main raw material, supplemented by a variety of Chinese herbal medicines such as Platycodon grandiflorum, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Cinnamomum cassia, etc., which is similar to the "Tu Su Wine" of the Han nationality, but the formula of the medicinal materials is different. It is used for drinking and entertaining guests during the Spring Festival. People think that drinking this wine can ward off evil spirits and prolong life.
"New Valley Wine" of the Hani nationality: Before the autumn harvest every year, the Hani nationality living in Yuanjiang, Yunnan Province, according to traditional customs, will hold a rich ceremony of "drinking new valley wine" to celebrate the harvest and the safety of people and animals. The so-called "new cereal wine" means that each family cuts a handful of ripe cereal stalks from the ground and hangs them upside down on the edge of a small basket at the upper part of the gable at the right rear of the hall, hoping that the gods at home will bless the crops, and then pulls down a hundred grains, some of which are fried into cereal flowers, and some are not fried, and put them into a wine bottle for soaking. Drinking "New Valley Wine" is chosen on an auspicious day, and every family prepares a sumptuous meal, and the whole family drinks a few mouthfuls of "New Valley Wine" without exception. Everyone should eat and drink enough in this meal.
"Chrysanthemum wine" has a long history, and "Miscellanies of Xijing" once recorded: "Chrysanthemum leaves are picked at leisure, brewed with miscellaneous millet, and drunk when it is ripe on September 9 next year, so it is called chrysanthemum wine".
Four major wedding drinking customs
The earliest record of "Daughter Wine" in the South is "Southern Vegetation" written by Ren Jin Han Ji, which says that when her daughter was born in the South, she began to make wine, buried it at the bottom of the pool, and took it out for her guests when she got married. This wine has been passed down in Shaoxing and developed into a famous "carved wine". Its quality is not obviously different from that of ordinary Shaoxing wine. The main reason is that the jar of wine is unique. When the jar was still damaged, it was engraved with various flower patterns, birds and beasts, landscape pavilions and so on. When the daughter got married, she took out the jar and asked the painter to paint a "hundred plays" with oil paints, such as "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea".
"Wedding banquet" is often synonymous with wedding. If you buy a wedding banquet, there will be a wedding. If you drink a wedding banquet, you will attend the wedding.
Manchu wedding "wine glass": At night, the bridal chamber is filled with flowers and candles. After the groom takes off his hood, he will sit on the bride's left, and his wife will hold the wine glass and let the groom have a drink first. The lady who sent the bride held up the glass and let the bride have a drink first; Then the two ladies exchanged glasses and asked the bride and groom to have another drink.
"Thank-you Seats" before and after the Manchu wedding: A cooked banquet is put in a special gift box and carried to the woman's home by two people to show their gratitude to the in-laws for raising their daughters and being daughters-in-law. In addition, a "thank you matchmaker table" will be made, put in a round cage, picked by one person and sent to the matchmaker's home to show his gratitude to the matchmaker for his good deeds.
Daur's "welcome wine" and "going out wine": When the person seeing off the bride arrives at the man's house, the groom's parents should fill two glasses of wine to show their respect for their relatives, also called "welcome wine", and the guests should drink them all to show that they are a family. After that, the male family will set up three seats to entertain the guests. After the wedding, most people who are far away from the bride's house stay at the groom's house for one night and leave the next day. When the relatives were sent back, the groom's parents were waiting inside the door to "go out for a drink" for the distinguished guests.
"Wedding banquet", the banquet to be held at the engagement ceremony, and drinking "wedding banquet" means that marriage is a foregone conclusion and the engagement has taken effect. After that, both men and women are not allowed to divorce at will and stay in the marriage.
"Huimen Liquor", the newlyweds will "Huimen" the next day after marriage, that is, they will go back to their parents' home to visit their elders, and their parents will hold a banquet for them, commonly known as "Huimen Liquor". There is only one lunch for Huimen wine, and the husband and wife go home after drinking.
"Have a glass of wine": This is a traditional ceremony in Chinese wedding procedures. In ancient times, it was also called "couplets" (originally meaning two spoonfuls of a cup). The Book of Rites is called "couplets and couplets", and Kong Ying Da interpreted it as "using a cup", which was called "plastic cup wine" in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, in terms of etiquette, it was popular to connect two wine glasses with colored silk to make colored knots such as concentric knots. Husband and wife had a drink with each other or passed it on. This custom is very common in China. For example, Shaoxing drinks a plastic cup of wine, which is presided over by a middle-aged woman. This middle-aged woman is a relative of a man, who has children and is blessed. Before drinking a plastic cup of wine, feed the bride and groom sitting on the bed a few small dumplings, then pour two cups of carved wine for the newlyweds, and divide the two glasses into two after mixing them.
Handing wine at the wedding: In order to show that husband and wife love each other, at the wedding, both husband and wife hold a glass of wine and touch each other with a small mouth.
Other drinking customs
"Full Moon Wine" or "Hundred Days Wine" is one of the common customs of all ethnic groups in China. When the child is born, a few tables are set at the full moon, and friends and relatives are invited to congratulate each other. Friends and relatives usually bring gifts, and some people give red envelopes.
Send Famous Wine: In the old days, when a child was born, if someone tried to figure out that his life had a nemesis, he would be sent to a nearby temple to become a monk or a Taoist, and a big family would hold a grand ceremony to send his name. After meeting the mage, when I get home, I will have a big banquet and worship my ancestors, and invite my relatives and friends, three relatives and six relatives, to have a drink.
"Shoujiu": Chinese people have the custom of celebrating birthdays for the elderly, generally calling them 50, 60 and 70 years old. It is usually held by children, grandchildren and granddaughters, and friends and relatives are invited to attend the banquet.
"Liang Jiu" and "Entering House Liquor": Building a house is an important event in rural China, and Liang is the most important process in the process of building a house. Therefore, Liang Ri should serve Liang wine, and the custom of pouring Liang wine is popular in some places. When the house is built, when the whole family moves into the new house, there must be wine in the house. One is to celebrate the completion of the new house and the joy of moving. The other is to offer sacrifices to the immortal ancestors for blessing.
"Open a bottle of wine" and "Divide red wine": This is a festive wine set by shops and workshops. When the shop opens and the workshop starts, the boss will hold a banquet to celebrate. When a shop or workshop pays dividends by shares at the end of the year, it is necessary to make a "red wine distribution".
"Zhuanghang Wine", also known as "Farewell Wine", was held by a friend from afar to show his farewell. During the war years, when the warriors went to the battlefield to perform important and life-threatening tasks, the commanders would pour them a glass of wine and use it to see them off bravely.
Six unique ways of drinking
Drinking: This is a unique way of drinking left over from ancient times. Spread in many places in the southwest and northwest. On festive days or when entertaining guests, you will bring a jar. People sat around the jar, each holding a bamboo tube or reed pipe, inserted obliquely in the jar and sucked wine juice from it. The number can reach five or six or even seven or eight people. The atmosphere is very warm when drinking. This unique way of drinking can strengthen the emotional communication between people.
"Turning to wine": This is a unique drinking custom of Yi people. The so-called "wine transfer" means that when drinking, there are no guests regardless of the occasion and place. Everyone is sitting on the floor in a circle. A glass of wine is passed from one person to another in turn, and everyone takes a sip. This custom is said to come from a touching legend: on a mountain, there lived three sworn brothers, namely Han, Tibetan and Yi. One year, the Yi people invited their two brothers to dinner, and the leftover rice turned into delicious rice wine the next day. The three brothers wanted to leave the wine to the other brothers, so they didn't finish it from morning till night. Later, the gods told them that as long as they worked hard, they would finish it.
Qiquanjiu
The banquet fully demonstrated the hospitality of the people of China. Emotional communication between people is often sublimated when toasting. When people in China propose a toast, they often hope that the other party will drink more wine to show their friendship with the host. The more guests drink, the happier the host will be, which shows that guests respect themselves. If the guests don't drink, the host will feel ashamed. Some people concluded that there are several ways to persuade wine: "Wen Jing", "Five Classics" and "Criminal Classics". These practices have their simple folk customs, but they also have some negative effects.
"Wen Jing" is a reflection of the traditional way of drinking, that is, to persuade people to be polite and cautious.
At the beginning of a banquet, the host often makes a toast first after saying a few words. At this time, both the host and the guest should stand up. The host should finish the wine in the cup first and put down the empty glass mouth to show that he has finished it, so as to show his respect for the guests. Guests usually drink it too. During the dinner, the host often goes to each table to propose a toast.
"Return": This is the guest's toast to the host.
"mutual respect": this is a "toast" between guests. In order to make the other person drink more, the toaster will find out all kinds of reasons why it is necessary to drink. If the toaster can't find any reason to refute, then he can only drink. While the two sides are looking for arguments, the emotional communication between people has been sublimated.
"Replacing wine with wine": a way to avoid toasting without losing grace and disappointing the host and guest. I can't drink, or drink too much, but the host or guest should pay tribute. You can ask someone to change the wine at this time. People who drink for him usually have a special relationship with him. At the wedding, the best man and bridesmaid of both men and women are often the first choice for drinking, so be sure to drink a lot.
In order to persuade wine, there are many anecdotes at the banquet, such as "deep feelings, stuffy mouth, thick feelings, enough to drink" and "shallow feelings, lick it."
"Fajiu": This is a unique way of "toasting" in China. The reasons for "punishing alcohol" are also varied. Perhaps the most common is the "three glasses of wine" for those who are late for the party. Sometimes this is a joke.
Tibetans are very hospitable. When entertaining guests with highland barley wine, first fill the glass with wine and serve it to the guests. At this time, the guest should hold the glass in both hands, then hold the cup in one hand, put the middle finger and thumb of the other hand into the cup, dip it gently and play it in the air to show respect for the gods. Next, they will come again for the second time and the third time to worship Buddha respectively. This traditional habit is to remind people that the origin of highland barley wine can not be separated from the generosity of heaven and earth Buddha, so we should worship the gods before enjoying the wine. When drinking, the custom agreed by the Tibetan people is: take a sip first, and the owner will immediately fill the glass with wine, then take the second sip, then fill it up, then take the third sip and then fill it up. In the future, you have to drink a full glass of wine at one go. In this way, the host will feel that the guests respect him very much, and the more the guests drink, the happier the host will be. It shows that the master's wine is well brewed. When Tibetans toast, male guests use large cups or bowls, while female guests use small cups or bowls.
Zhuang people don't use cups to toast their guests, but use white porcelain spoons, scoop a spoonful from each wine bowl and drink each other. At this time, the host will also sing a toast song: "The tin pot is filled with white wine, so you don't mind the wine in front of you. I sincerely respect my guests, and I respect you like a fairy. " A tin can contains a glass of white porcelain wine. Don't push until you've finished drinking. Although wine is not made by human feelings, you are a fairy who drinks half a glass.
When the Yugur people in the northwest entertain guests, they always propose a toast. No matter how many guests there are, the host only takes out two wine glasses, and the hosts present take turns toasting the guests. Eight wine orders (decrees)
Drinking regulations are a unique way for China people to entertain themselves when drinking. Liquor order has a long history. At first, it may be to set up a "prison" to maintain order at the banquet. There was an "imperial edict" in the Han Dynasty, that is, an imperial edict was executed at the banquet to punish those who did not finish the wine in the cup. In ancient times, there was a shooting ceremony, and the banquet was called "shooting a swallow". That is, by archery, the outcome is decided. Losers drink. The ancients also had a drinking custom called throwing pots, which originated from the shooting ceremony in the Western Zhou Dynasty. A pot is set on the banquet, and the guests throw arrows into the pot in turn. Those who throw more will win, and those who lose will be punished for drinking. In the 40th episode of A Dream of Red Mansions, Yuanyang drank for an hour and said with a smile, "It's as big as a military order to order. No matter how important it is, I am the only owner. If you violate me, you will be punished. " Generally speaking, alcoholic drinks are used to punish alcohol. However, the main purpose of implementing the wine order is to enliven the atmosphere when drinking. What's more, it is common for people to sit at a banquet and not know each other. Orders act as catalysts to enliven the atmosphere at the party.
There are many ways to order wine. Literati and ordinary people naturally have different drinking orders. Literati often use poems or couplets to guess words or riddles, while ordinary people use some simple methods without making any preparations.
The most common and simplest is "the same number", which is now commonly called "guessing boxing", that is, the gestures of several fingers represent a certain number. After two people have dealt with each other, the sum will be equal to a certain number. At the same time, everyone reported a number. If the sum of the figures mentioned in A is exactly the same as the sum of the figures added, it is considered as the winner and the loser has to drink. If two people say the same number, try again regardless of the result.
Delivery of packages: This is a lively and nervous way to punish alcohol. At the banquet, the guests took their seats in turn. Drum is a place where a person plays, drums and flowers are separated to show justice. When the drums sounded, the bouquets began to pass in turn. As soon as the drum beats, if someone has the bouquet, that person must pay a fine. So the bouquet spread quickly, and everyone was afraid that it would stay in their own hands. Drummers should also have some skills, which are tight and slow, creating an unpredictable atmosphere and aggravating the tension on the field. Once the drums stop, everyone will look at the flower pickers in unison. At this time, everyone laughed in laughter and the tension disappeared. Flower catchers have to drink water. If the bouquet happens to be in the hands of two people, they can decide the loser by guessing boxing or other means. Delivery of parcels is a way suitable for all ages, but it is mostly used for female guests. This scene, for example, is vividly described in A Dream of Red Mansions.
Wine is the best.
The first wines that humans learned to brew: fruit wine and milk wine.
The earliest malt liquor in China: whole grains.
China has the most national wines: yellow rice wine and white wine.
The earliest mechanized winery in China: Yantai Changyu Grape Brewing Company.
The earliest brewery in China was built in Harbin in 1900.
The earliest alcohol factory in China was built in Harbin in 1900.
The First Fully Mechanized Yellow Winery in China: Wuxi Yellow Winery
The earliest written record of wine: Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty.
The earliest record of medicinal liquor production technology: the silk book "Healthy Prescription" unearthed at Mawangdui in the Western Han Dynasty.
The earliest record of wine: Sima Qian's Historical Records Biography of Dawan.
The Records of Malt Making Method in Qi Yao Min Shu by Jia Sixie in Northern Wei Dynasty.
The oldest existing wine: 1980 wine unearthed from tombs in the late Shang Dynasty in Henan (about 3000 years ago) is now in the Palace Museum.
At present, the largest output of beverage wine: beer.
At present, the most expensive wine in China: Moutai.
Legendary ancestors of brewing: Du Kang and Yidi.
The earliest person who suggested that brewing began with farming: Huainanzi by Liu An in the Han Dynasty, "The beauty of Qing Ang began with Reggie".
The first person to put forward that wine is the product of natural fermentation: Jiang Tongjiu ointment in Jin Dynasty.
The earliest complete set of brewing apparatus unearthed at present: Dawenkou culture period in Shandong Province.
The earliest image reflecting the whole brewing process has been unearthed: the "kitchen map" relief stone unearthed from the balcony of Zhucheng, Shandong Province.
The earliest discovery so far: bronze wares of the Eastern Han Dynasty (now in Shanghai Museum).
The earliest brewing regulation: Zhou Dynasty, see Book of Rites and Monthly Order.
The highest academic monograph on brewing yellow rice wine in ancient times: Beishan Jiujing by Zhu Jun in Northern Song Dynasty.
The earliest recorded heating sterilization technology: Beishan Jiujing in Northern Song Dynasty.
The Book with the Most Ancient Wine Names: Zhang Nengchen's Song Dynasty Wine List
The most famous wine encyclopedia in ancient times: Dou Ping's wine catalogue in Song Dynasty.
The earliest prohibition of alcohol: the "wine" of the Zhou Dynasty.
The earliest monopoly of wine was implemented in the third year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (98 BC).
The earliest record of wine price: In the sixth year of Han Dynasty (8 1 BC), officials sold wine at a price of four yuan per liter.
The earliest advertisement for selling wine records: Han Feizi's Drinking in Song Dynasty at the end of the Warring States Period: "Drinking in Song Dynasty was very high", with the logo: wine flag.