The legend of wine

There is an interesting legend. According to legend, wine was invented by Du Kang. So how did he create wine and why did he name this drink wine? Woolen cloth?

The story goes like this:

One day, Du Kang wanted to develop something that could be drunk, but he couldn’t figure out how to make it after thinking hard, so he made a strange one when he went to bed at night. In his dream, he dreamed that an old man with gray hair and a childlike face came to him and said to him: "You use water as a source and grain as material. Then on the ninth day after the grain is soaked in water, find three people and each take a drop. Add blood to it and it's done." After saying that, the old man disappeared.

When Du Kang woke up, he made it as the old man said. He went to the roadside to look for the three people at You hour (5 o'clock - 7 o'clock) on the ninth day. After a while, a scholar came, who was gentle, humble and polite. Du Kang hurriedly stepped forward to explain his purpose. Unexpectedly, the scholar readily agreed, cut his finger and dropped a drop of blood into the bucket. After the scholar left, another group of people came, with the leader He was a mighty and heroic general. Du Kang stepped forward to explain his intention. The general also rolled up his arms and sleeves to support Du Kang. He also cut his finger and dripped a drop of blood into the bucket. By this time, the unitary hour was almost over (in today's terms, it was about to come). It was seven o'clock) But Du Kang hadn't found the third person yet. He was a little anxious. Then he thought, wouldn't it be okay as long as he was a human being? So he found an unrelated and stupid beggar in the village, held him down, and A drop of blood dripped into the bucket after pricking his finger. The beggar suddenly screamed in pain and became dizzy at other times. With these three drops of blood, Du Kang finally made it, but he was worried again, what should he name it? When he thought about it, there were three people's blood in this drink, and it was dripped at Youshi, so he just wrote it as "wine". How to pronounce it? This was made on the ninth day, so let’s use the same pronunciation as wine (nine). This is the legend about the origin of wine.

The historical origin of wine

1. The history of wine - the creation of God

According to relevant records, the earliest wine on the earth should have fallen into the wild. The fruit is naturally fermented. Therefore, we can think that the emergence of wine is not a human invention, but a creation of heaven. Generally speaking, only with wine can you have wine vessels. Therefore, the prerequisite for artificial winemaking should start with the manufacture of pottery. Otherwise, brewing will not be possible.

Archeology has proven that among the Neolithic pottery products unearthed in modern times, there are already special drinking vessels. This shows that our ancestors have had a relationship with wine very early, and the wine-making technology in our country had already begun to prevail at that time. After the Xia and Shang dynasties, more and more drinking utensils were used. In the Yangshao Cultural Relics, there are both pottery pots and pottery cups. Among the unearthed Shang and Yin cultural relics, bronze wine vessels account for a considerable proportion, indicating that the drinking culture was indeed very popular at that time.

Moreover, we can learn from the records in "Historical Records of the Yin Dynasty" about King Zhou "taking wine as a pond and hanging meat as a forest" and "drinking for a long night", as well as the "October" in "The Book of Songs" It can be inferred from the poems "Rice is harvested, this is the spring wine" and "This is the spring wine, to promote the eyebrows and longevity" that artificial winemaking began about 6,000 years ago.

The first wine should be fruit wine and rice wine. Since Xia, during the Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han, and even the Tang and Song dynasties, fruits and grains were steamed, fermented with koji, and pressed before producing wine. Whether it was Wu Ji pressing wine to persuade guests to taste it, or Wu Song drinking from Jingyang in a big bowl Gang, what they drink is fruit wine or rice wine. With the further development of human beings, the wine-making process has also been further improved. The original cooking, fermentation, and pressing have been changed to cooking, fermentation, and distillation. The biggest breakthrough is the improvement of alcohol of purification.

For thousands of years, China's winemaking industry has branched out during historical changes, resulting in the production of many types of famous wines with more local characteristics and better reflecting local customs and customs. The drinking rituals and customs of different ethnic groups all create a vast and profound ancient country with famous wines.

People who manage winemaking can be called: "Jiu Zheng", "Wine Man", "Yu Man", "Jiu Man", "Great Chief", etc.

The oldest physical wine in the world is the wine unearthed in Samari, Iran. It is more than 3,000 years ago and is still fragrant and mellow; the oldest physical wine in China is the imperial wine of the Han Dynasty unearthed in Xi'an. According to experts It is proven to be a grain wine (some experts have also certified it as rice wine. As a rice wine worker, I am excited to hear it, so lucky!) It is still delicious and drinkable to this day, which is amazing!

2. Another name for wine - interpretation of allusions

my country's winemaking has a long history and a wide range of varieties. It has been welcomed by our ancestors since the day it was produced. When people drink and praise wine, they always give the wine they drink an interesting nickname or alias. Most of these names are derived from some allusions, or are based on the taste, color, function, effect, density, brewing method, etc. of the wine. Many nicknames for wine are widely spread among the people, so Wen is often used as a synonym for wine in poetry and novels. This is also a feature of Chinese wine culture. Du Kang, Huan Bo, things in the cup, Jinbo, 第鬯, white drops, frozen glutinous rice, pot wine, things in the pot, Zhuo, wine, wine, Daigo, Huangfeng, Qingzuo, Xijiu, Yijiu, Qingzhou Eng, Pingyuan Governor You, Qu Sheng, Qu Xiucai, Qu Taoist, Qu Jushi, Qu Sheng, Chun, Mao Chai, Fragrant Ant, Floating Ant, Green Ant, Green Ant, Tianlu, Pepper Pulp, Wangyouwu, Broomstick, Diao Shi Hook, Kuang Yao, Jiu Bing, Prajna Soup, Qing Sheng, Zhuo Xian.

Dukang: Du Kang is the founder of ancient sorghum wine, and later generations will use Dukang as the synonym for wine. "Only Du Kang" comes from Cao Cao's "Dan Ge Xing": Why can only Du Kang relieve worries?

Huan Bo: Because wine can relieve worries and bring joy to people, it is called Huan Bo. This nickname first appeared in "Yi Lin Kan Zhidui" written by Jiao Yanshou in the Han Dynasty. He said, "Wine is the source of joy, it removes worries and brings joy."

What’s in the cup: It’s so named because most people drink it in a cup. It started with Kong Rong's famous saying, "The seats are always full of guests, and the bottles (cups) of wine are never empty." Tao Qian wrote in the poem "Responsible Son", "If destiny is like this, it will be in the cup."

Jinbo: It is named because the color of the wine is like gold and it floats like waves in the cup. Zhang Yanghao wrote in "Putianle? Boating on Daming Lake" that "the cup is full of gold."

Chàng: This is a wine brewed from black millet and vanilla in ancient times and used to worship gods. According to the Book of Songs. "Daya Jianghan" records, "秬 (jù)鬯一卣(yǒu)"

Bai Duo: This is the name of a person who is good at brewing wine. Su Che wrote in the poem "Ci Yun Zi Zhan's Heavy Snow in the Sickness", "If you diligently write yellow bamboos, you will drink in vain."

Láo: spring wine. It is a wine brewed in the cold winter to be drunk in the spring. According to "Poetry? Bin (bīn) Wind? July" records, "The rice is harvested in October, and the spring wine is used to promote the eyebrows and longevity."

Ewer and wine glass: Originally a vessel for holding wine, it was also used later Tao Qian wrote in his "Returning Letters" about wine making, "Introduce the wine glass to drink by yourself, and gaze at the garden to enjoy your beauty."

The contents in the pot: It is named because most of the wine is contained in the pot. Zhang Hu wrote in the poem "Inscribed on Rao Pavilion", "It's just the things in the pot. When you are worried, you pour it yourself." Chunchu is a synonym for high-quality wine.

Zuo: The original meaning is to pour and drink wine, and later it was extended to be a substitute for wine; such as "just drink" and "sip". Li Bai wrote in the poem "Drinking Alone under the Moon", "A pot of wine among the flowers, drinking alone without any love." , let me think of it." [Biography]: 酤

3. The foundation of wine culture - Jiu De Jiu etiquette

Historically, Confucianism has been regarded as the orthodox view of governing the country, and the custom of wine has also Influenced by Confucian wine culture views. Confucianism pays attention to the word "wine virtue".

The word "wine virtue" was first seen in "Shangshu" and "The Book of Songs". Its meaning is that drinkers must be virtuous and cannot be like King Zhou of the Xia Dynasty, who "overturned their virtues and became proficient in wine". "Shang Shu Jiu Gao" embodies the Confucian virtues of wine, which are: "Drinking only for sacrifice" (drinking can only be done during sacrifices); "Wu Yi wine" (don't drink often, drink less in ordinary times to save food, It is advisable to drink alcohol only when you are sick); "Zhigangdou" (it is forbidden for people to drink in groups); "Forbidden to indulge" (it is forbidden to drink excessively). Confucianism does not object to drinking. Using wine to worship gods, provide for the elderly, and serve guests are all virtues.

Drinking etiquette in ancient my country:

When the host and guests drink together, they must kneel to each other. When younger people drink in front of their elders, they are called serving drinkers. They usually have to kneel down first and then sit down at the second table. Only when the elders order the younger ones to drink, the younger ones can raise their glasses; the younger ones cannot finish the wine before the elders have finished drinking it.

The ancient drinking etiquette consisted of four steps: worship, sacrifice, spitting, and mourning. That is to first make a bowing gesture to show respect, then pour a little wine on the ground to offer thanks for the earth's fertility; then taste the wine and praise it to make the owner happy; and finally drink it up.

At a banquet, the host should toast to the guests (called "reward"), and the guests should return the toast to the host (called "酢"), and also say a few words of toast during the toast. Guests can also toast each other (called travel fare). Sometimes you have to toast to people in turn (called drinking wine). When toasting, both the person toasting and the person being toasted must "avoid the table" and stand up. A typical toast is served in three cups.

Among the fifty-six ethnic groups in the big family of the Chinese nation, except for the Hui people who believe in Islam and generally do not drink alcohol, all other ethnic groups drink alcohol. Each ethnic group has its own unique drinking customs.