The winter solstice is one of the eight festivals of the year. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has a tradition of offering sacrifices to ancestors on the winter solstice to show filial piety and not forgetting the roots. The saying that the winter solstice is as big as a year is widely circulated among the people. The winter solstice is also called "sub-year" and "off-year", which means that the year is approaching and the winter solstice is important. As soon as the winter solstice arrives, the New Year is just around the corner, so the ancients thought that the winter solstice was as important as the New Year. In ancient times, people who drifted in other places had to go home for the winter festival at this time, which was called "having a home at the end of the year".

There is an old saying in Suzhou, an ancient city, that it takes one night in winter not to drink dongyang wine on the winter solstice. Contemporary businessmen have applied this saying and changed dongyang into winter brewing to obtain the greatest economic benefit and brand effect, so there is also the saying of winter brewing. In the old days, Dongyang wine in Suzhou was a kind of rice wine, which was brewed together with osmanthus. It was sweet in taste, golden in color, vaguely fragrant with osmanthus, and very refreshing and pleasant.