China has a long history of making and drinking wine. Pottery excavated proves that Chinese people started brewing mild grain liquor 5,000 years ago.
Chinese inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells, bronze inscription of the Chinese character "wine" and the rich varieties of bronze wine vessels all show that the wine industry was already well developed by the Shang (1600-1100 BC) and Zhou (1100-256 BC) Dynasties.
The invention of the distilling process was a milestone for the Chinese wine industry. About 1,000 years ago, in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), using the distilling process the Chinese were able to make highly alcoholic grain wine, which is now called liquor.
Chinese wine can be classified into two categories: rice wine (yellow wine) and liquor. As the oldest wine in China, rice wine is a low alcoholic wine made from glutinous rice. Because of its bright orange yellow colour, it is also called Yellow Wine. Zhuangyuanhong Red, Jiafan Wine and Huadiao Wine are famous Yellow Wines. It has a 10%-20% alcohol content, is the most nutritious among Chinese liquors, and tastes mellow and delicious. #Rice Wine can
be used for cooking, particularly for mutton and fresh fish. It can remove the fishiness and also increase the fresh flavour.
Liquor (White Wine) is the most typical wine in China; it
is a highly alcoholic wine made from #millet, sorghum, corn and sweet potato through distilling. Because of the crystal colour, it is called White Wine. #Maotai and Wuliangye are the representatives of Chinese liquor. White wine smells fragrant and has a high alcohol content, usually more than 38 percent, sometimes reaching
67 percent. Thus people consider it a "hard" liquor.
In China, liquor can be seen anywhere and anytime. It plays an important and indispensable role in people's lives. There are many references to it in literature, entertainment, catering and health preservation.
"Drinking with a good friend, a thousand shots are not
enough"; wine is part of etiquette for Chinese people. We welcome our guests with wine, celebrate with wine, pray for fortune with wine, express emotions with wine, sacrifice animals to heaven with wine, move into new buildings with wine, reconcile with wine, give thanks with wine, open ceremonies with wine and enjoy festivals with wine. From weddings and funerals to state banguets, when Chinese people get together, wine must be served.
Wine has become a part of Chinese dining culture in every corner of the country.