Wine in china

The origins of fermenting and drinking wine in China go far back in time.The ancient Chinese either used wine as a libation to their forefathers to express reverence，enjoyed it by themselves while writing poetry or prose，or toasted their relatives and friends during a feast.Wine was intimately connected with most Chinese men of letters.Grains were used to ferment wine throughout ancient China.Thus，whether or not the grain harvest was bountiful became a criterion by which many governments decided whether to lift their ban on wine making or how heavy a wine tax to levy.Over the ages，wine gradually became directly linked to the daily life and tax burden of the people.

As early as in the Shang dynasty of the 18th through 1lth centuries B.C.，the use of grain to make wine had become widespread.Inscriptions preserve many records of Shang-era people worshiping their ancestors with wine and of the fact that wine drinking was very popular at the time.The development of Chinese wine-making techniques accelerated after the 3rd century.A.D.Each part of the nation used different grains to produce yeast.

This not only led to an increase in the varieties of wine，but also indicated progress in the technology of yeast production.

From wine making and drinking we can glimpse a bit of the wisdom of ancient Chinese.Wine was influential in the accomplishments of intellectuals.Policy measures prohibiting wine making and measures levying wine taxes illustrate certain links between wine and national taxes.Wine is an important segment of dietary culture，and its significance in Chinese culture should not be overlooked.

hancheng

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