传统酒文化

传统酒文化Chinese A lcohol Culture

1中国人在喝酒时有哪些礼节?

How do Chinese behave when drinking?

In ancient China there existed a formal drinking etiquette to follow．When guests attended a feast，the host and guests would kneel down face to face to show respect to each other．As they began to drink，the host would pour a bit of alcohol on the ground in appreciation of the kindness of the earth that provided them with grains and food．When drinking，the host and guests would first savor the alcohol before swallowing it to convey their appreciation．Younger guests at the feast had to wait for the elders to finish drinking before they themselves could start to enjoy the wine．

Nowadays at the beginning of a friendly meal or dinner party，a host or hostesswill often raise his or her glass and say，“Drink and enjoy yourself!”Generally after two or three dishes have been served，guests will respond to the toasts．Other individuals on the host's side normally take the lead in toasting guests seated closest to them．These toastsmay involve only two people or everyone at the table．

When there aremore than one table，the host，after his opening remarks，will often go to each additional table to toast each individual．At official banquets，the chief guest is expected to follow the same custom．

In Chinese etiquette，the host is permitted to merely sip his or her drink—or not drink at all—in order to stay sober and properly manage the banquet．Hostsmay also choose to join their guests in drinking if they are still able to take care of the banquet's duties．Guestsmay respond to the host by calling for a ganbei(干杯) toast．Women，particularly if they are not important guests of the party，are generally excused from the ganbei ritual．Of course if the host or some other partymember proposes a“sip”toast，anyone at the party can still go“bottoms up．”As for toast，it is especially polite to follow suit，usually between courses．Drinking in China expresses interest or pleasure during the banquet，but also demonstrates prowess，particularly amongmales．

Traditionally in Chinese culture there has been a strong tie between alcoholic drinking and establishing new personal，political or business relationships．A common saying goes，“If you respect each other，drink up your wine; if you respect them less，just sip(感情深，一口闷;感情浅，舔一舔)．”As the host drinks first，sometimes he will turn his cup upside down to show there is no wine in his cup．After this，the guests will also finish the wine in their cups．The more the guests drink，the happier the host，so refusing to drink is regarded as impolite unless you have a good reason such as high blood pressure，an upset stomach．In this case，joining the toastwith water or soft drink is acceptable．Another popular way of limiting the amount you drink is not to fill your cup or glass to the top．

Notes:①alcohol含酒精饮料;酒②appreciation欣赏③toast祝酒④bottoms up干杯⑤prowess非凡的能力⑥stomach胃

2在饮酒时，人们做什么游戏?

What drinking games do people play?

Chinese people sometimes play drinking gameswith friends．The goal of the game is not to get drunk; drunkenness is the penalty for the loser．

Common drinking games include the Rock-Paper-Scissors．According to this game，the rock beats the scissors; the scissors cut the paper; the paper wraps up the rock．Two players throw out the signs of either object，and if both players show the same sign，they continue the game until one player loses and has to drink．

The Finger Guessing Game is alsowell known．Two players give a sign for a number using their right hands while shouting out a number from zero to ten．The numbers from each player's hands are added together．If the sum matches either player's announced number，he/she wins．The player who loses has to drink．

The Food Chain is yet another two-player game．Each player begins by banging chopsticks on the table．The two players then touch chopsticks and call out one of the following: stick，tiger，rooster，and worm．According to the game's rules，the stick beats the tiger，the tiger eats the rooster，the rooster eats theworm，and the worm eats through the stick．If the two players say the same item，they keep chanting the items until someone loses and has to drink．

Fajiu(罚酒)，literally meaning“drinking as a punishment，”occurs when someone arrives late to a feast or banquet．The latecomer usually takes three cups of liquor as a lighthearted penalty．

Notes:①drunkenness酗酒②penalty惩罚③chant反复单调地唱④lighthearted随便的

3酒对中国文化有影响吗?

Have alcoholic beverages exerted any influence on Chinese culture?

Alcohol drinking is a common cultural heritage enjoyed by almost all people of the world．Alcohol has existed in China since antiquity．During these ancient times people would pour out alcohol in honor of their forefathers and then toast their relatives and friends．Chinesemen of letters of that timemightwrite poems or monographs after tasting liquors or wines．Alcoholic beverageswere also important in banquets or feasts held by ancient emperors or kings．

Alcohol always accompanies delicious dishes either when people firstmeet orwhen old friends have a reunion．China produces various types of wine like yellow wine，fruit wine，and distilled liquors〔in English wine and liquor are not the same thing．Wine is from grapes，but vodka or baijiu(白酒) would be considered liquor〕．The most famous Chinese liquor is Maotai(茅台)which comes from thewheat and sorghum ofMaotai，Guizhou Province．Wuliangye(五粮液) and Erguotou (二锅头)are also popular Chinese brands of alcohol．

In the Zhou Dynasty(1046 BC－256 BC)，alcoholic beverageswere classified into two types: rice wine and li(醴) wine．Some scholars think that li wine was similar to beer due to its low alcoholic content．Many stories tell the origins of varied alcoholic drinks from ancient China．One story attributes alcohol's origin to Yi Di(仪狄)，the daughter of Emperor Yu(禹)．She presented to Yu(禹)a tasty drink made from fermenting rice wrapped in mulberry leaves．

One legend points to Du Kang(杜康)of the Zhou Dynasty(1046 BC－256 BC) as the inventor of alcohol．One day when he was herding sheep，he mindlessly dropped a bamboo tube in the pasture．Over time the forgotten tube was filled with millet．When Du Kang found the tube again 14 days later，themillet inside had turned into fragrant liquid．This new discovery made him happy，and he began brewing the drink．Today some Chinese still use his name synonymously with alcohol．

There are many ancient stories that tell of wise scholars' drinking experiences．These stories recount their pleasure before and after alcohol drinking，and even describe how these scholars produced theirmasterpieceswhile intoxicated．

Tao Yuanming(陶渊明)，a prominent poet of the Wei and Jin Dynasties(220－420)，often drank alone．He brewed his own alcohol，and meticulously described the rapture he had for drinking; many believe his poems are imbued with alcohol．

The Tang(618－907) writer Li Bai(李白)wrote many poems that reflected his fondness for alcohol．One night he was drifting on a lotus pond while totally drunk．He leaned over to embrace the reflection of the moon and fell overboard into the pond．In one of his poems，he wrote，“Happiness is to be savored to the full．The golden cupmustnot face themoon untouched(人生得意须尽欢，莫使金樽空对月)．”

Du Fu(杜甫)was another well-known poet of the Tang Dynasty．He came to Chengdu in 759，where he lived peacefully and composed over two hundred poems．One of his poems said，“So far from town，the food is very plain．And allwe have to drink is this home brew．If you like，I'll call across the fence tomy old neighbor; to help us finish off the last few drops(盘飧市远无兼味，樽酒家贫只旧醅。肯与邻翁相对饮，隔篱呼取尽余杯)!”

Su Shi(苏轼)was a poet of the Northern Song Dynasty(960－1279)．He composed many ci-poems，one of which asks“How often can you come back to drink with usmerrily and linger tipsy(使君能得几回来?便使樽前醉倒更徘徊)?”

People drink alcoholic beverages during traditional Chinese festivals．The Eve of the Lunar New Year is an important occasion for family members to gather together．On this occasion，people eat rich food and drink to their familymembers and the New Year's coming．In rural，China farmers celebrate an abundant crop harvest and pray for happiness．Once they finalize a lucky date，each family starts to prepare a big dinner．All the family members sip alcohol and enjoy themselves to their hearts'content．

4你能讲讲中国历史上禁酒的情况吗?

Has there been any prohibition against drinking alcohol in Chinese history?

The Book of Shang(《尚书》) and The Classic of Poetry(《诗经》) contain the earliest moral judgments concerning alcoholic drinking．They say that alcoholic drinkers should maintain socialmorality and not indulge to excess．Confucianism has no objection to drinking，but does emphasizemoderation aswell．

Alcohol should be consumed slowly to enhance its pleasure．Chinese people are unlikely to exhibit reckless behavior in public settings in order to avoid embarrassment and the loss of face．When drinking，people's face may turn red．All these factors work as powerful forces against drunkenness and restrict the use of alcohol．

Yu the Greatwas the first Chinese ruler to prohibit the consumption of alcohol．During the Han Dynasty (206 BC－220 AD) various laws were passed with the aim of controlling consumption．For example，in 206 BC in order to curtail drinking at banquets，a fine of four ouncesof silverwas imposed if three ormore people were found drinking together．In 147 BC alcohol production was totally prohibited，but by 98 BC a revision in the law specified that only government officials could manufacture and sell alcohol，thus establishing a governmentmonopoly．Throughout the courses of Chinese history，prohibition against alcoholic consumption was common．Some were for political reasons，and some for the control of grains．For the most part，what determined whether the government lifted a ban or not was the quality of the grain harvest that year．

Notes:①morality品行②indulge放任③moderation适度④reckless不顾后果的⑤consumption消耗⑥monopoly垄断

5中国有哪些名酒?

What famous liquors are there in China?

There aremany famous liquors，wines or beers on sale in China．Below are some alcoholic beverages，which are well-known across the country．

茅台酒Maotai

Maotai Liquor has long been regarded as the number one liquor in China．Maotaiwas first distilled in the town ofMaotainear the Chishui River(赤水)in Guizhou Province．At the Panama World Fair of 1915，itwon a gold medal for its excellent quality and unique flavor．

泸州老窖特曲Luzhou Laojiao Tequ

Tequ(特曲)is themost prestigious liquor produced in Luzhou area，Sichuan Province，followed by Touqu(头曲) and Erqu(二曲)．Laojiao Tequ has a strong fragrance and tastesmellow and a bit sweet．

五粮液Wuliangye

This liquor is produced in Yibin(宜宾)，Sichuan Province．Wu liang(五粮) means“five food grains．”In 1988，the distillery received both the quality certificate for its products from the national government and the Quality Control Prize from the National Ministry of Commerce; and in 1991，the liquor was put on the list of Top Ten Chinese Liquors．

古蔺郎酒Gulin Langjiu

This liquor is produced in Gulin County，Sichuan Province and has the same strong fragrance and taste of Maotai．In 1984，at the annual NationalWine Appraisal Conference，Gulin Langjiu won a gold medal and was put on the list of the Top Ten Chinese Liquors．

汾酒Fenjiu

This liquor won a gold medal at the Panama International Exhibition in 1916．The high-quality of the liquor is due in great part to the naturalwater ofwells located at the Apricot Blossom Village(杏花村) in Shanxi Province．Fenjiu looks clear and tastes soft and sweet．

竹叶青Zhuyeqing

This liquor is Fenjiu brewed with a dozen ormore of selected Chinese herbalmedicine．One of the ingredients is bamboo leaves which give the liquor a greenish color and its name．

高粱酒Gaoliangjiu

Gaoliang is the Chinese name for sorghum．Besides sorghum，the brewing process also uses barley and wheat．In the Ming Dynasty(1368－1644)，the liquor was originated in the place east of Tianjin．

五加皮酒Wujiapijiu

This liquor is a variety of Gaoliangjiu with a unique selection of Chinese herbalmedicine added to the brewing process．Alcohol content is around 54%．

绍兴黄酒Shaoxing Yellow Wine

Thiswine takes its name from its color．It ismade in Shaoxing City(绍兴)，Zhejiang Province and is also called Shaoxing Rice Wine and noted not only for its yellow color，but also for itsmellow fragrance and good taste．

青岛啤酒Qingdao Beer

This beer is regarded as the number one beer in China．It is brewed with pure springwater from Laoshan(崂山)，amountain area in Qingdao，Shangdong Prov-ince．Qingdao Beer has a pleasant aroma and a wellbalanced taste．

Notes:①unique独特的②prestigious有声望的③mellow(酒)芳醇的④certificate证明书⑤appraisal评价⑥apricot杏⑦greenish带绿色的⑧sorghum高粱⑨well-balanced匀称的