中国酒

Preface

The Invention of Chinese Wine

Where does Wine ComeFrom?

Wine in Sacrifice——a Holy Means of Invocation, an Offering in the Holy Rite

The Varieties of Alcohol and Their Appreciation

Chinese Wine and its Most Famous Types

Chinese Spirits and Their Most Famous Types

Beer in China

Wine Made in China

A New Force in the World Wine Landscape

Wine Drinking Rituals and Customs

Flagon Fine and Goblet Rare

Wine Rituals and Wine Morality

Drinking Games

Folk Customs and Wine

Drinking Styles

Hospitality and Drinking

Wine and Holidays

Wines Therapeutic Value and Regular Usage

Legends of Wine

Wine and Politics

"Lifting My Drink and Singing a Song"

Poetry and Wine

From Wine Restaurants to Bars

Traditional Wine Restaurants

Bars——Leisure Venues in the Cities

Consumption of Imported Wine

Appendix: Chronological Table of the Chinese Dynasties

The Chinese do not see wine as one of the necessities of life, but in theirsocial life the culture of wine as a distinct cultural form has made andcontinues to make an impact on the way the Chinese live. Chinese alcoholicdrinks are chiefly made from grain. Throughout the long history of China, withits large population and long-term reliance on agriculture, the ups and downsof the wine trade have been closely bound up with political, economic andsocial conditions. The fluctuations in the grain harvest were like a barometerfor the ups and downs of the wine business. The successive ruling dynastiesissued or relaxed restrictions on wine production according to the grainharvests to make sure that people had enough to live on.

Li Zhengping researcher in Chinas alcoholicbeverage culture and freelance writer, is theauthor of Chinas Alcoholic Beverage Culture（The Current Affairs Press）.