How did Chinese behave when drinking in ancient times？

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In ancient China people often followed a formal drinking etiquette.When hosts and guests drank together，they would kneel down face to face and touch the ground with their foreheads.It was the way to respect each other.When junior and senior members drank together，the juniors would first of all kneel down and kowtow，and then they would be seated in order of their positions.The juniors couldn’t drink the wine before the elders.They had to wait until the elders completed their alcohol.

Usually there are four steps in the ancient drinking etiquette：

a.A host and a guest perform a courtesy gesture by kneeling down face to face.

b.The host pours a bit of alcohol down to the ground in appreciation of the kindness of Earth for providing grains and foods.

c.The guest sips alcohol and expresses his/her appreciation of it to the host.

d.At last，both the host and guest take up their cups and drink the alcohol.

How do Chinese behave when drinking at a banquet？

At a banquet，it is not polite to drink wine or liquor by oneself.Hosts and guests usually exchange toasts and speeches.Liquor may be served for toasts.Beer and soft drinks are also available for the same purpose.At the beginning of a banquet，the host is likely to make a short speech to welcome the guests and propose a toast in their honor.At this time，the guests need only accept these gestures graciously.

Generally after two or three dishes have been served，guests will respond to the toasts.0ther individuals on the host’s side normally take the lead in toasting guests seated closest to them.These toasts may involve only two people or everyone at the table.When there is more than one table，the host，after his opening remarks，will often go to each additional table to toast each individual.The chief guest is expected to follow this same custom.

Towards the end of the meal，the senior guest should give a return speech of gratitude for the hospitality and propose an appropriate toast.Usually before the meal ends，the host thanks the guests for coming or offers a final toast.As a rule，toasts are necessary at banquets.If you really can’t drink，you can fill your win glass with tea instead.If you happen to be the“object”of numerous toasts，it is perfectly acceptable，moreover，to raise your glass to your lips and lick the wine lightly.