Facts have proved that Yu Xia's foresight is correct. The last kings of Xia and Shang Dynasties were all killed by alcohol, which led to national subjugation. Judging from the historical records and a large number of unearthed wine vessels, the drinking atmosphere of the rulers of Xia and Shang Dynasties was very popular. "Yao, curb the people's power, squander the people's wealth, which is not conducive to the wine pool. There are three thousand people drinking in a drum. " Xia Jie was eventually exiled by Shang Tang. The drinking habits of the nobles in Shang dynasty not only failed to converge, but intensified. The unearthed wine vessels are not only numerous and varied, but also exquisitely made, ranking first in the world. This fully shows how the rulers indulge in wine. It is said that Shang and Zhou drank for seven days and seven nights without rest, and the distiller's grains piled up into hills, which could be transported by boat. According to textual research, the nobles in Shang Dynasty were chronically poisoned by drinking lead-containing bronzes for a long time, which led to a decline in combat effectiveness. The demise of Shang Dynasty is generally considered as an important reason. After overthrowing the Shang Dynasty, the rulers of the Western Zhou Dynasty issued the earliest prohibition of alcohol in China. It says, don't drink often, only when you die. Arrest and kill those who gather to drink. In this case, the ethos of alcoholism was restrained in the middle and primary period of the Western Zhou Dynasty. This can be proved by the decrease in the proportion of wine vessels in unearthed objects. The teaching of prohibition of alcohol in "Liquor Patent" can basically be summarized as: no Yi liquor, group drinking, abstaining from Burmese liquor, and holding that alcohol is the root of chaos and national subjugation. This constitutes one of the leading ideas of China's prohibition of alcohol. Become a model for later generations to quote classics. In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, the system of "not drinking in groups" was implemented. The law enacted by Xiao He, the prime minister, stipulates that "three or more people drink collectively without reason and will be fined four Liang." (Wen Ying's Note on Historical Records of Emperor Wendi). This was probably in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, when the new dynasty was just established, and the rulers made this provision in order to prevent opposition forces from gathering people to make trouble. The prohibition of collective drinking is actually based on "liquor".
When alcohol was banned, the court issued a prohibition order. There are also several kinds of prohibition. One is the absolute prohibition of alcohol, that is, it is prohibited by both the government and the people, and the whole society is not allowed to produce and circulate alcohol. The other is the prohibition of alcohol in some areas, which is more common in some dynasties, such as the Yuan Dynasty. The main reason is that different regions have different degrees of grain abundance and apology. There is also a kind of prohibition of liquor koji, which is a special way, that is, liquor koji is monopolized by the government, and private manufacture is not allowed, so it is prohibited. Without koji, wine-making can't be carried out naturally. There is also prohibition of alcohol, which prohibits private brewing, transportation and sale of alcohol under the condition of state monopoly.
Prohibition of alcohol is very common in history. In addition to the above political reasons, it is more caused by the food problem. Whenever there are natural and man-made disasters and food shortages, the court will issue an injunction. When the harvest is good, the ban will be lifted. When alcohol is banned, there will be strict punishment measures. If bootleg liquor is found, distiller's yeast or brewing tools will be confiscated and sentenced to death.