Chinese Drinking Game

2 min read

As an inseparable part of alcohol culture, the practice of giving a toast has been a ritual since ancient times. Entertainment of various kinds has been offered to people who are taking a drink in order to add to their enjoyment. Here we talk about Jiuling in particular. for it is unioue to China.

Jiuling has a long history dating back to the Western Zhou dynasty. Originlly it was introduced to regulate people’s dinking habits and so ensure that they should observe rules of etiquette while not drinking to excess. It was during the Warring States Period that Jiuling evolved to include ways in which a toast could be made. This process thrived more and more until the Tang, Song, Yuan, lMing andQing dynasties along with the development of wine production. The Jiuling became quite fashionable and even artistic in its form thus meeting the elegance of intellectuals and the practices of the common people.A special book has described Jiuling as falling into two concepts: common Jiuling and literary Jiuling. The most popular forms are as follows: Common Jiuling: These games do not require a great deal of acumen and are thus easy to learn and play. Dice are rolled and contestants have to guess the number of spots. Those who make an incorrect guess pay a forfeit by taking a cup of drink.

The “Gong Show”is another popular pastime.A person beats a drum or gong behind the scenes, and the other people sitting around the table will quickly pass a flower from one to another. When the drummer stops, whoever has the flower will drink and even give a simple performance according to the rules. In the famous book The Dream of Red JMansions, the dignified family also plaved in this way.

Too mgam the came time chi1e chotine t a mmher framo ta 90 Ane shouts out a nunmber that is ecual to the total nunber of fingers extended, then he will win, while the person who shouts a number that is less will lose the game and has to take a drink as a punishment. To add to the fun of the game, the players do not just give the numbers but will say a relevant phrase such as “two kind brothers”to represent 2,”three stars shining”3,”making a fortune in four seasons”4, and so on.

Literary Jiuling has a more sophisticated style and consequently in ancient China only educated people could enjoy it. Theyalso thought up many ways to play, such as guessing riddles, connecting idioms, composing couplets or verses, telling stories or jokes.