Chinese Alcohol   中国酒

In China, stories of liquor can be traced back to its early history. It is believed that Chinese alcohol has about 4,000 years of history. A legend said that Yi Di(仪狄), the wife of Yu (禹) invented the method to make alcohol.

     In ancient China, alcohol was regarded as a sacred liquid for sacrificial offerings to Heaven and the Earth or ancestors. After the Zhou Dynasty, alcohol was deemed as one of the Nine Rites①  , and every dynasty put great emphasis on alcohol administration to set up special ministries to manage alcohol production and banqueting. Later, along with the development of zymotechnics (发酵法),and brewery, alcohol became an ordinary drink. Thus, many customs concerning alcohol have various relationships with Chinese daily life.

     Liquor and its brewing technology were once introduced from neighboring regions during the Han, Tang and Yuan dynasties. During the Tang Dynasty, liquor was popular and was highly praised by many famous poets. It served as a designated offering for the Royal Ancestral Temple（太庙） during the Yuan Dynasty.

     In the beginning, millet was the main grain to make the alcohol, the so-called “yellow wine.” Then rice became more popular. It was not until the 19th century that distilled drinks became more popular. After the fermentation process, Chinese alcohol has a balmy fragrance and is sweet-tasting. Traditionally, Chinese distilled liquors②  are consumed together with food. Alcohol always accompanies delicious dishes when people meet for the first time or when old friends have a reunion.

     Alcohol is part of Chinese folklore. In modern China, alcohol retains its important role despite many social changes. It still appears in almost all social activities, and the most common circumstances are seniors’ birthday parties, wedding feasts and sacrificial ceremonies in which liquor is the main drink to show happiness or respect.

     Traditional Chinese liquor can be generally classified into two types, namely clear liquors (白酒) and yellow liquors (黄酒) . 

      Clear liquor, or “baijiu” is a Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage. The name baijiu literally means “white liquor”. Baijiu is often mistakenly translated as “white wine”, but it is actually a distilled liquor, generally about 80 to 120 proof, or 40-60% alcohol by volume.

     At the time that ancestors of the Chinese people started living in communities along the Yellow River valley, the cultivation of various kinds of grain laid the foundation for making wines and alcohol. Some scholars believe that the technique for making Chinese liquor originated in the Xia Dynasty. Historical records credit Yi Di and Du Kang as the founding fathers of Chinese liquor. According to historical records, Yi Di made great efforts to make mellow wine with fermented glutinous rice. Du Kang, who lived in the Xia Dyanasty, is credited with making top-notch liquor with Chinese sorghum beans. 

     According to its fragrance, clear liquor can be classified into six different categories. 1. Sauce fragrance(酱香型): A highly fragrant distilled liquor of bold character. This class is also referred to as "Mao xiang," after the best known wine of this class, Maotai. 2. Thick fragrance(浓香型): A class of distilled liquor that is sweet tasting, mellow, with a gentle lasting fragrance. One example of this type of liquor is the Five Grains Liquid. 3. Light fragrance(清香型): Delicate, dry, and light, leaving a delectable mellow and clean feeling in the mouth. An example of this kind of liquor is Fen jiu. 4. Rice fragrance (米香型): The character of this class of wine is exemplified by baijiu distilled from rice, such as Tri-Flower Liquor of Guilin. 5. Honey fragrance(凤香型): A class of distilled liquor with the fragrance of honey. Liquors of this class are subtle in flavor and sweet in taste. 6. Mixed fragrance (兼香型): A class of distilled liquors that contain the characteristics of “Sauce,” Heavy, and Light Fragrance distilled liquors. An example of this type of liquor is Xifeng Jiu.

     Another typical type of Chinese alcoholic beverage is Yellow Liquor. However it is not really yellow. It’s usually brewed from grains such as rice, millet or wheat. Unlike Baijiu, such liquors are not distilled, and contain less than 20% alcohol, due to the inhibition of fermentation by ethanol at that concentration. These wines are traditionally pasteurized(高热杀过菌的), stored, and filtered before their final bottling for sale. The various styles of yellow liquor may vary in color from clear to beige(米色的), yellowish-brown(黄棕色), or reddish-brown (红褐色). Some  of the most popular yellow liquors in China are: Mijiu, Fujian glutinous rice wine, Huadiao jiu,  Shaoxing wine, Liaojiu, etc.

Abridged and revised from

                     http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2010-10/27/content_11692216_2.htm