Dietary culture refers to people's dietary behaviors and habits in daily life, mainly including the attributes of food itself, the preparation process and rituals, dining utensils, environment, etiquette and customs.
Food culture has always been a treasure in national culture. China cuisine, which is famous all over the world, contains rich food sources, unique food processing skills, profound food aesthetics and food folk customs of the Chinese nation. It has become an important part of social material civilization and spiritual civilization in past dynasties and is one of the yardsticks to test the development of these two civilizations. At the same time, China cuisine is also an art with beautiful colors, smells, tastes, shapes, utensils, health and ideas. In terms of color, it pursues the matching of cold and warm, and the shade is appropriate; In terms of smell, it advocates that the aroma is fragrant, mellow and attractive; In terms of taste, it pays attention to the harmony of five flavors and is well known; In modeling, pay attention to variety, exquisiteness and harmony; On the utensils, strive for excellent texture, beautiful and comfortable, complement each other; Functionally, it advocates health and safety and benefits the body and mind; In the food atmosphere, pay attention to quiet and elegant, full of interest.
China has a long history of food culture, exquisite cooking skills, and is famous all over the world, and is known as the "food kingdom" in the world. Like music, dance, calligraphy, painting and drama, China food culture is an important part of China's splendid national cultural heritage for thousands of years, and it is also a valuable tourism resource. It can be said that in today's tourism activities, diet has long gone beyond the purely biological purpose, but it is a cultural carrier and symbol that embodies people's love for life, self-expression, pursuit of elegance, emphasis on experience and rich taste. It is an important cultural activity with rich social significance. Nowadays, "eating in China" and tasting the delicacies in the north and south of China is one of the motivations for thousands of tourists at home and abroad to travel to China.
The Development Process of Food Culture in China;
Dietary culture came into being with the appearance of human society, and it constantly formed its own rich connotation with the development of human material culture and spiritual culture. At present, there are different opinions about the origin of food culture. Some people think that the Yellow Emperor is the ancestor of cooking according to the legend that he made cauldrons and taught people to build stoves and steam valleys. Some people think that Suiren's "drilling wood to make a fire" is the first page of his cooking history; Others think that Fu Xishi should be the ancestor of China's cooking. In fact, these records in ancient books are all remembered by later generations, and they are often painted with a layer of mythology. It is even more inevitable to concentrate some pioneering works of an era or a clan and tribe on one person. The primitive collection of wild fruits and animals by human beings is only for the sake of eating and keeping fit. The records in ancient books only reflect the transformation from eating and drinking blood to cooked food, not to mention the conscious cooking art of human beings. From a scientific point of view, the emergence of dietary activities should begin with human eating cooked food. With the continuous development of human social productive forces, the surplus products are increasingly enriched and the social division of labor is expanding. Dieting activities have become a conscious behavior of human beings, and gradually formed a periodic habit, which has created a series of ideas and behavior systems related to diet, thus gradually evolving into an art and a culture.
About 1 10,000 to 40,000 years ago, human beings invented the stone cooking method of burning cooked stones with heat transfer, which is the most primitive cooking method. Primitive humans either cooked food directly on the fire, or put food on a slate to heat it and eat it, which is proved in the archaeology of Zhoukoudian, Beijing. In the Neolithic Age, China society entered the pottery period. People used pottery as cooking utensils, or used pottery to cook cook the meat, or used Tao Ge to cook grain, or used pottery to steam food. The use of pottery cooking utensils has promoted the development of primitive cooking, marking the official entry of mankind into the cooking era.
The unification of China from Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties to Qin Dynasty is an extremely important stage in the history of Chinese cuisine. With the leap of productivity, profound changes have taken place in all aspects of social life. China has entered the Bronze Age since the Xia Dynasty. People began to use copper cookers to change raw materials into small pieces and use animal oil to cook dishes, which made cooking progress to oil cooking. At this time, when the rich and noble people eat, they should play music and strike the bell, and they are filled with all kinds of delicacies with their heyday, which is called "Zhong Ming Ding Shi". It was in this period that the basic program of Chinese food culture was initially set. From a historical point of view, the diet in the pre-Qin period has made great progress compared with that in the primitive society, such as the increasing scope of food, the continuous development of cooking utensils, the progress of cooking methods, the initial formation of cooking system and food culture, and so on.
Compared with the previous dynasties, the diet varieties and cooking level in Han Dynasty have made great progress. After the Han Dynasty, ironware gradually replaced bronze ware, and vegetable oil began to enter the kitchen. It has mastered cooking methods such as stewing, boiling, frying, frying, sauce, pickling and roasting, and it is also very particular about food raw materials. The technical division of cooking operations has matured, which can be proved by the "Kitchen Map" and "Chef Figurine" unearthed in Shandong. "Kitchen Map" depicts a grand scene of a coherent cooking process. The characters carved in the map are all busy and have their own duties. There are six levels from top to bottom, which summarizes all links from raw material preparation to processing, and the division of labor is clear, which is a powerful expression of cooking culture in Han Dynasty. "Chef's Figurine" is about the modeling of chef's image, which is almost the same as today's chef in terms of clothing and attire, which shows that chef has formed a profession at that time. After Zhang Qian introduced to the Western Regions in Han Dynasty, a large number of foreign foods such as grapes, watermelons, sesame seeds, spinach, celery, garlic and fennel were introduced, which changed the traditional diet in terms of quantity, quality and structure.
The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was a period of great exchange and integration of food culture among people of all ethnic groups in China. Influenced by the Taoist thought of "immortality", it was colorful in content and form, and pursued colorful cooking methods of "homology of medicine and food" and "consistency of medicine and food". At this time, almost all kinds of food were commonly used in modern times, and Jia Sixie's Qi Min Yao Shu reflected the height of the development of food culture at that time. In addition, after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the wind of drinking tea began to rise. In the southern kingdom of Wu, tea was used as a palace drink, and all banquets for nobles were served with tea. During the Southern Dynasties, tea drinking had spread to poor families. During the Northern Dynasties, the literati regarded tea drinking as "Chinese taste".
Tang and Song Dynasties are the heyday of Chinese food culture. The vigorous development of commerce and handicrafts, the development of land and water transportation and the rise of cities have promoted the development of catering industry. The Tang Dynasty was the formation period of tea culture in China. The publication of Tea Classic by Lu Yu, who was called "Cha Sheng" by later generations, brought the tea culture in China into a new realm, that is, from drinking to tasting, from a habit and hobby to a cultivation and a culture. In the Song Dynasty, tea became a necessity of people's life, especially the porcelain tableware in the Song Dynasty nourished our food culture with its exquisite beauty. Dietary cultural life has become an important social and cultural activity for literati. Literati pay attention to food, delicacy, beauty and beauty, which strengthens the aesthetic nature of dietetic culture.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, food culture was further developed and its content was more colorful. Whether it is the palace diet, aristocratic diet and official diet, or national diet, local diet and folk diet, there has been a booming trend. Especially after the Qing dynasty unified the whole country, the food culture showed the characteristics of melting North and South cuisine in one furnace, and its typical representative was the appearance of Manchu-Chinese banquet. Man-Han banquet is famous for its grand etiquette, luxurious materials, numerous dishes and rich scenes. It is one of the famous dishes in China that can rival the famous French cuisine.
Third, the basic characteristics of China's food culture
China's diet culture is based on the extensive diet practice of China's ancestors. It is an important reflection of human survival and development, and it is closely related to people's material life and spiritual life, with distinctive characteristics.
First of all, China food culture is an ancient and young culture with endless charm and charm. China's food culture has a long history, which was produced as early as China's ancient ancestors' own food activities. "It is the first flower in human life". At the same time, with the development and progress of ancient society in China, both eating utensils and eating customs are constantly developing and enriching. China's food culture is closely related to people's social life. It is endless and has strong vitality.
Secondly, China food culture is a self-contained cultural form with unique features. Food culture is a cultural form that spans many fields of material culture and spiritual culture and has its own unique connotation and extension. It is also a cultural form with its own network and unique charm. Its development is closely related to the development of social economy, the progress of science and technology, the development of land and the process of agricultural production. The organic combination of these basic factors constitutes its parent body and defines its characteristics at the same time. China's food culture was formed under the influence of China's specific material environment and many factors. Therefore, in China's food culture, there is a unique cultural tone and taste of food collocation, proper etiquette, orderly four seasons, reasonable meals, exquisite tableware, hygiene and delicacy.
Thirdly, China's food culture is the yardstick of Chinese civilization and the embodiment of Chinese national characteristics. Food is the most important thing for people, and diet plays a very important role in people's lives. It can not only meet people's physiological needs, but also be an important material means to improve human physique and promote the creation of wisdom. At the same time, because of its rich cultural connotation, it also meets people's spiritual pursuit to a certain extent, and it is an important yardstick of human civilization. The food composition and diet fashion of a country and a nation reflect the natural products, production conditions, cultural literacy and creative ability of the nation, and reflect the achievements and national characteristics of using and developing nature. China food culture is an important part of the long and splendid culture of the Chinese nation. It marks the development process and progress of Chinese civilization in various historical periods, reflects that the Chinese nation has been a nation that loves life and pursues truth, goodness and beauty since ancient times, and reflects the creative spirit and unique style of the Chinese nation from one side.
Section II Colorful Food Culture
China's food culture is world-renowned for its long history, wide geographical spread, large edible population, excellent cooking skills, rich nutritious dishes and profound cultural connotations, and has become a pearl in the treasure house of human food culture.
First, the causes of food culture
China is a country that has always attached importance to food. During the evolution of civilization for thousands of years, it has formed a colorful food culture. China has a long history of food and rich cultural accumulation, which makes China win the reputation of "culinary kingdom" in the world, and China cuisine ranks among the four famous dishes in the world. Compared with the cooking art of other countries or nations, China cooking has its own characteristics in the selection of ingredients, cooking techniques, the design of dishes, the handling of seasoning, and the name of dishes.
First of all, as far as natural conditions are concerned, China has superior geographical environment, vast territory and abundant resources, diverse climate changes and a wide variety of animals and plants, which provides rich and diverse sources for the selection of food.
Secondly, in terms of historical conditions, the stable and long agricultural life and the tradition of attaching importance to history, family and traditional skills (including cooking and brewing) have enabled the "ancestral" cooking skills to be inherited and supplemented. In China, the traditional way of eating family meals without food plays an important role in emotional communication and maintaining family unity.
Once again, in terms of political conditions, the centralized power of ancient China brought delicious food from all over the country to the table of emperors and nobles, forming a colorful banquet. China's catering culture is based on the life of the scholar-bureaucrat class, with the princes and nobles under feudal autocracy as the intermediary, especially the catering in the court as the centralized representative, which is accumulated, preserved, spread and developed. The ultimate luxury of China emperors is the highest embodiment of China's traditional food culture.
Finally, in terms of cultural conditions, China's agricultural culture advocates that "food is not tired of essence, and it is not tired of detail", and that food is human's "great desire" and "food is for the people", so it is important to eat. China's traditional food culture is enjoyed by very few people. A large population, rich products and slow pace of life determine that time is the least valuable. In order to renovate a sumptuous feast of delicacies and delicacies, we spared no expense in manpower and material resources, and made great efforts to achieve perfection for dignitaries to enjoy.
China's food culture, like music, dance, calligraphy, painting and drama, is an important part of China's splendid national cultural heritage for thousands of years. It is a valuable tourism resource and has important tourism development value.
Second, the main local flavor
For a long time, due to different raw materials, ingredients and cooking methods, different places have formed their own unique flavors and different cuisines. In different historical periods, according to different classification standards, Chinese food can be divided into different genres. From the nature of raw materials, Chinese food can be divided into vegetarian dishes (palace vegetarian dishes, temple vegetarian dishes, folk vegetarian dishes) and meat dishes; From the function of dishes, Chinese dishes can be divided into ordinary dishes and health care dishes; From a geographical point of view, Chinese cuisine can be divided into four major cuisines, namely Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and Guangdong cuisine. They are all formed in the long river of internal and external economic and cultural exchanges in various regions, and have distinctive regional cultural characteristics. Here is a brief introduction to the four major cuisines.
1. Shandong cuisine
Shandong cuisine, also known as Shandong cuisine, is developed from local dishes in Jiaodong and Jinan. Shandong cuisine not only spread to Beijing and Tianjin, but also spread as far as Baishan and Heishui, becoming the most influential cuisine at that time. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Shandong cuisine became the main body of the imperial palace and the representative of northern cuisine in China. Its characteristics are: careful selection of materials, good at making soup, famous for its fragrance, tenderness and pure taste, and paying attention to fullness and benefits. In addition, the Confucian cuisine in Qufu, Shandong Province also has an influence on the formation of Shandong cuisine. Now, Qufu imitates the menu of Confucius' tribute to the emperor in Ming and Qing Dynasties and the daily feast recipes of the Confucius family, which are recorded in the Archives of Confucius' House, and are well received by tourists at home and abroad.
The representative dishes of Shandong cuisine are: sweet and sour carp, Dezhou braised chicken, fried tofu, Jiuzhuan large intestine, clear red carp, braised prawns, oil-fried conch, Confucius' first-class pot and so on. Its snacks include: Zhoucun Crispy Sesame Cake, Wuchengxuan Cake, Lotus Leaf Cake, Weixian Barbecue Head Roasted, Pancakes, Crispy Pancakes, Pot Stickers, Soup Dumplings, Flowering Steamed Bread, Fried Bags, Golden Noodles, Crispy Fried Noodles, Fushan Lamian Noodles, Penglai Xiao Noodles, Chicken San, Sweet Foam, etc.
2. Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine, also known as Cantonese cuisine, is composed of Chaozhou, Guangzhou and Dongjiang (Huizhou) schools. The characteristics of Guangdong cuisine are: wide selection of materials, more ingredients, emphasis on decoration, and emphasis on freshness and smoothness; Good at stir-frying, good at mastering the heat and the oil temperature is just right; Pay attention to the seasonal collocation, strive to be light in summer and autumn, and emphasize strong alcohol in winter and spring. Cantonese cuisine, represented by Cantonese cuisine, influences Fujian, Taiwan, Qiong and Guangxi.
Guangzhou cuisine is characterized by fine production, various colors, emphasis on steaming and frying, exquisite cooking and vivid patterns. In terms of animal raw materials, besides pigs, cattle and sheep, there are also snakes, cats and rats, especially snakes, which have a long history. In Huainanzi of the Western Han Dynasty, there is a record that "the more people get snakes, the more dishes are served", so the people have the reputation of "eating in Guangzhou". 18, 19 century, with the foreign trade and "going to the South Asia", Cantonese cuisine gradually went to the world. It is said that there are thousands of Cantonese restaurants in new york alone. Chaozhou cuisine is good at cooking seafood, and the soup is the most distinctive, with fine knives and strong sweetness. Pay attention to keeping the original flavor of the main ingredients. Dongjiang cuisine is heavy in oil, salty in taste, prominent in main ingredients, simple and generous, and has a local flavor.
Representative dishes include: crispy suckling pig, Baiyun pig's hand, Long Hudou, roasted goose, snake soup, Taiye chicken, sea dog stewed with Xingyuan chicken feet, Dinghu vegetable, Dongjiang salted chicken, national food, crispy fried pigeon and so on. Its snacks include: Pearl Chicken Pie, Preserved Egg Pie, Fried Dumpling, Frozen Meat Melaleuca Pie, Fried Daliang Cream, Crispy Lotus Bun, Barbecued Pork Bun, Pink Fruit, Lunjiao Cake, water chestnut cake, rice rolls, Honeycomb Taro Cake, Pine Cake, Crab Yellow Soup Dumpling, Thin-skinned Shrimp Dumpling, Dry Steamed Dumpling, Shahe Rice, Lotus Leaf Rice, and Dizhou, Boat Boat Boat Dumpling.
3. Sichuan cuisine
Sichuan cuisine, also known as Sichuan cuisine, is represented by dishes from Chengdu and Chongqing, and enjoys a high reputation in China. Sichuan cuisine attaches importance to the selection of ingredients, pays attention to the consistency of specifications, and the color separation and side dishes are clear and bright, and there has been a tradition of "respecting taste" and "being spicy" since ancient times. Its characteristics are: spicy, fishy, rich in flavor, paying attention to seasoning, inseparable from "three peppers" (that is, pepper, pepper) and fresh ginger. It is well-known for its spicy, sour, hemp and incense, and has always enjoyed the reputation of "one dish is one style, and all kinds of dishes are delicious". The local flavor is very strong, and there are "food in China, all kinds of dishes are delicious" Therefore, some people sum up the characteristics of Sichuan cuisine as "it's not long in Qing Dynasty, but hot and spicy". Sichuan cuisine also has influence on Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Yunnan. Sichuan cuisine has a long history, showing its edge in the late Qin and early Han dynasties, and now Sichuan cuisine restaurants have spread all over the world.
Representative famous dishes include kung pao chicken, Sichuan style pork, shredded pork with fish flavor, husband and wife lung slices, Mapo tofu, Dengying beef, Yuanyang hot pot, dry-roasted rock carp, home-cooked sea cucumber, crispy rice slices, dry-fried winter bamboo shoots and so on. Its snacks include: lotus leaf steamed cake, steamed cake, egg baked cake, egg iron cake, Qingcheng ginkgo cake, Chongqing frozen cake, Guo kui, Yibin burning noodles, dragon wonton soup, red oil dumplings, glass Shao Shao Shao, Dandan Noodles, Lai Tangyuan, sesame dumplings, Guanghan Sanhe mud, North Sichuan bean jelly, steamed beef in a small cage, Shunqing mutton powder and so on.
Characteristics of China Food Culture
China's food culture has formed extremely distinctive national characteristics in the long historical development process, mainly in the following aspects:
1. The harmony of five flavors is the biggest feature of China food culture.
China food culture takes the harmony of five flavors as the highest principle in both the pursuit of taste in cooking and the production of dishes. The principle of harmony of five flavors runs through the whole food culture in China and is the essence of food culture in China.
The harmony of five flavors is first to meet the needs of people's dietary tastes and the requirements of selecting food raw materials. Five flavors mean sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty; Harmony of five flavors means that these five flavors can be changed and matched reasonably, and the original or true flavor of food can be maintained and exerted. The harmony of five flavors should also conform to the time sequence, and the choice of food raw materials has different emphasis in different seasons. There is a saying in Neize that "harmony, sour in spring, bitter in summer, pungent in autumn, salty in winter, and smooth and sweet", which emphasizes that it should not only meet people's taste needs, but also be in harmony with the four seasons and people's physiological needs. Harmony of five flavors is also a requirement for the cooking process. "Lu Chunqiu? Filial piety has described this process and requirements: who will release the five flavors first, how to grasp the opportunity, how to release more and less, and how to allocate them properly, all of which are very particular. In the process of cooking, the subtle changes in the pot are difficult to explain in words. The key lies in the cook's proper "degree", so that the dishes have the excellent characteristics of "long time without disadvantages, cooked without rot, sweet without murmuring, sour without coolness", and its purpose is to neutralize all the flavors into a coordinated organism.
2. Pursuing the organic unity of color, fragrance, taste, shape, utensils and environment.
China's food culture has a strong aesthetic function, not only pursuing the harmonious beauty of five flavors, but also preferring the comprehensive beauty of color, fragrance, taste, shape, utensils and environment, which is the aesthetic cultural characteristic of China's food culture. China cuisine is known as "the art of eating" and "the aesthetics of eating". Putting color beauty in the first place in China's diet shows the importance of color discrimination in stimulating appetite, so Confucius put forward that "color is not good for food", and the quality of color combination of dishes is often the key to the success of a banquet. The aroma of dishes can arouse people's desire and motivation to taste dishes, and at the same time, the feeling of fragrance can deepen and promote people's aesthetic pleasure in color and shape. Taste is the main part of pleasure in diet. Delicious taste combined with color, fragrance and shape is the climax of aesthetic feeling of diet, and "emphasizing taste" is one of the main characteristics that distinguish China's diet culture from western diet culture. The beauty of form is helpful to the creation of aesthetic sentiment and atmosphere of diet. Delicious food, like harps and melodies, complement each other and make each other interesting. The beauty of scenery mainly refers to the elegant and harmonious eating space environment and emotional environment, which can make the feast icing on the cake and make people feel happy.
The harmony and unity of color, fragrance, taste, shape, container and environment make food activities not only meet physiological needs, but also have obvious aesthetic appreciation and experience value, while the design and arrangement of cooking and feasting have artistic creation significance.
3.*** Eating with meals.
People in China never regard diet as a means to eat, but are used to using it as a link between people and their feelings. In the way of eating, I like the way of "eating". Westerners eat at the same table, but they eat separately, which is different from China people who eat the same dish and drink the same soup. Although the eating method of "dividing meals" is unscientific from the health point of view, it is the "* * * food" in China people's banquets that pursues a realm of life. The ancient kings of China used feasts to "communicate the feelings of the upper and lower levels" in order to obtain the long-term stability of the country; Folk banquets connect feelings, clear barriers, harmonize families, neighbors' blind dates and even national unity through eating and drinking. Whether it's the singing of literati's elegant banquet or the competition of games in folk restaurants, we can achieve the harmonious and beautiful life realm between man and nature and between people in the same taste of different dishes and in the poetic banquet atmosphere.
Confucius said more than two thousand years ago: "It's a pleasure to have friends from afar!" This sentence embodies the tradition of hospitality of China people. China's modern tourist food culture still follows this tradition, warmly receiving tourists from all over the world, and pursuing emotional harmony, cordial atmosphere and emotional exchange and communication between the host and the guest during the banquet. However, guests' eating habits should be fully respected in the diet, and public chopsticks should be used in the way of "* * *", or separate meals should be adopted in the form of * * *, so that western tourists can not only feel the harmonious poetic atmosphere of Chinese food culture, but also adapt to their psychology and habits, and also adapt contemporary China food culture to modern people's pursuit of sanitary quality of life.
Broad and profound wine culture
Chinese wine has a long history of more than 5000 years, which has formed a unique style in the long development process and nurtured a splendid Chinese wine culture. Wine culture, as a special cultural form, has a special position in the traditional China culture, and almost penetrates into all fields of social life. We can know all aspects of China society from wine, and valuable information can be found in wine culture, such as politics, economy, agriculture, commerce, history and culture. Wine is a gorgeous flower in food culture and a symbol of social civilization.
First, the formation of wine culture
Wine is a beverage made of sorghum, wheat, rice, grapes or other fruits by saccharification and fermentation, which contains edible alcohol (alcohol can only be called wine if it is more than one degree). From the perspective of brewing technology, China is one of the first countries in the world to understand brewing technology. As early as the middle Neolithic Age, our ancestors knew how to make wine. But up to now, it is still difficult to determine when and who artificial brewing originated. There is a saying that Yidi makes wine, and there is also a saying that Du Kang makes wine. Later generations have always regarded Yidi and Du Kang as Dionysus. In addition, there are "apes make wine" and "Yellow Emperor makes wine". Although there are different opinions, domestic scholars generally believe that Chinese wine-making was a relatively developed industry during the Longshan culture period. Judging from its development, Chinese wine can be divided into five stages: enlightenment, growth, maturity, development and prosperity.
The enlightenment period is from Yangshao culture in Neolithic Age to early Xia Dynasty. This period was the late primitive society, and the ancestors used moldy but germinated grains to make wine. The prerequisite of artificial brewing is the development of agricultural civilization and the appearance of pottery. In Yangshao cultural site, there are both pottery pots and pottery cups. It can be inferred that artificial brewing began about 6000 years ago.
From Xia Dynasty to Qin Dynasty, it was about 1800 years, which was the growth period of Chinese wine. During this period, China became the first country to use Qu to brew wine, because there were six animals in agriculture and Qu was invented in the brewing industry. At the same time, with the rapid development of wine-making technology, the wine-making industry began to separate from agriculture as an independent handicraft department, and the court began to set up officials to govern wine to take charge of major state affairs and royal banquets. The establishment of wine officials indicates that wine-making has become an independent handicraft department, which plays an important role in standardizing and improving wine-making technology and summarizing and popularizing wine-making experience.
Zhou people are agriculture-oriented, and think that a lot of wine and alcohol will waste a lot of food, which is an intolerable "sin." In order to save food and save national strength, the first prohibition code in China's history, Liquor Ju, was promulgated in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which stipulated very strict prohibition measures. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, from the establishment of officials to the prohibition of alcohol by law, it indicated that alcohol culture and institutional culture were running hand in hand, which had a far-reaching impact on China's wine administration for thousands of years. Under the direct influence of the etiquette culture, the rulers of the Western Zhou Dynasty also strongly advocated wine morality and wine etiquette, with the purpose of prohibiting excessive drinking in addition to respecting the inferior. The "wine ceremony" and "wine morality" advocated by the Western Zhou Dynasty were later integrated with Confucian ethics and morality, which became the biggest feature that distinguished Chinese wine culture from western wine culture for thousands of years. The development of wine industry in the Western Zhou Dynasty basically laid two directions for the development of Chinese wine culture: first, fermentation with koji, which is the fundamental difference between China's national wine-yellow rice wine and white wine and foreign wine fermented with strains; Second, making wine, drinking and using wine are all brought into the track of legalization, ritual and etiquette, which greatly increases the spiritual and cultural value of wine and reduces its negative effects. For thousands of years, Chinese wine culture has undergone numerous development and changes, but it has always been constantly changing, tortuous development and gradual improvement along these two directions. In addition, because there were examples of debauchery and national subjugation in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and there was a "Hongmen Banquet" in the Qin and Han Dynasties, people were still wary of wine, which also brought some obstacles to the great development of the wine industry.
From the Qin Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty, it was about 1200 years, which ushered in the maturity of Chinese wine. During this period, the Han and Tang dynasties flourished, the economy and trade developed, and Chinese and Western cultures blended. Li Bai, Du Fu, Du Mu, Su Dongpo and other famous wine writers came forth in large numbers. In addition, the war from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties lasted for two centuries, and frustrated literati drowned their worries by drinking wine and drank too much, which also promoted the prosperity of the wine industry from the opposite side. The drinking atmosphere is not limited to the upper class, but also widely spread to the people. As the demand for alcohol increased greatly, it laid a social and material foundation for the invention and development of China liquor. The Prescription for Health Preservation and the Prescription for Miscellaneous Therapy unearthed in Mawangdui Western Han Tomb record that people have a certain understanding of the medicinal function of wine. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, wine was a common theme on stone and brick reliefs. The most striking thing is the wine-making scene in the "Kitchen Map" unearthed from the balcony in Zhucheng, Shandong Province, which depicts the whole process of wine-making at that time. The publication of scientific and technical books on diet and wine making, such as Qi Min Yao Shu, provided a theoretical basis for the maturity of China wine industry.
From the Northern Song Dynasty to the Late Qing Dynasty, it lasted more than 800 years, which was the development period of Chinese wine. During this period, distillers were introduced into China from the Western Regions, which provided a material basis for the invention of China liquor. Liquor is also called shochu and white dry wine. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that "shochu is not an ancient law, and its law has been created since the Yuan Dynasty." Judging from many small wine vessels unearthed in this period, liquor with high degree has rapidly spread to ordinary people. After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, shochu, which was made from sorghum and barley and made by distillation, gradually took the leading position instead of yellow wine and developed rapidly in the north. With the development and improvement of distilled liquor, yellow rice wine, wine, fruit wine and medicinal liquor have also been improved and developed, so that the wine culture in China has ushered in a splendid and colorful era.
1840 After the Opium War, it can be described as the fifth stage of the development of Chinese wine, and it can be called a prosperous period. The traditional brewing technology in China and the advanced brewing technology in the West interact with each other and strive to shine brilliantly. Whisky, brandy, vodka and Japanese sake were all introduced into China, which not only promoted the emergence of new varieties of China traditional liquor, but also developed rapidly with their own advantages and characteristics. After the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, China's brewing industry has ushered in a prosperous era. In the early 1990s, the annual output of liquor in China reached more than 7.2 million tons, accounting for about 40% of the total output of spirits in the world, ranking first.