The Philosophy of Tea and Liquor Culture

Liquor exudes warmth and magnanimity， while tea embodies purity and tranquility. As classic cultural symbols of the Chinese nation and precious treasures of Chinese culinary culture， they have shone brightly throughout the five thousand years of civilization， deeply permeating the veins of the Chinese people. The resulting liquor and tea cultures have formed independent ideological systems， becoming essential components of Chinese culture. Tea and liquor have developed distinct yet interconnected cultural connotations within the vast framework of Chinese culture while embodying a shared Eastern cultural character.

The Life-nourishing Nature of Tea and Liquor

We know that tea is renowned for its life-saving properties， while liquor can dissolve the barriers in people’s hearts. Long before the world had seen the emergence of coffee and cocoa， two of the three major non-alcoholic beverages， Chinese tea had already shouldered the historical mission of offering itself to all humanity. In the 17th century， Chinese tea began to cross oceans， and since then， this gentle beverage has been spread across the globe， becoming a healthy drink enjoyed by two-thirds of the world’s population today. Similarly rich in charm is the liquor. The Yellow Emperor’s first impression upon discovering liquor was “beauty，” and Chinese have always referred to good liquor as “fine liquor.” Their functions are intended to promote human health rather than destroy the body and mind. Through reasonable and appropriate scientific consumption， tea and liquor can contribute to the well-being of humanity， always giving us health benefits.

The life-nourishing nature refers to its extensive reach among diverse populations in space and its enduring presence over time. These beverages embody a pure and sincere intention in their interaction with humanity while also providing maximum potential for promoting the well-being of the body and mind. The life-nourishing nature signifies a sense of dedication.

The Symbiotic Nature of Tea and Liquor

The subtle and profound tea， along with the instantly invigorating liquor， form a harmonious duet in the history of human beverage consumption. These contrasting beverages coexist on our planet. Tea and liquor， as depicted in myths and historical records， frequently appear hand in hand in various forms in China. For instance， in terms of their places of origin， Sichuan， known as the Land of Abundance， is not only the homeland of tea but also a prominent region for producing fine Chinese liquor. Ancient Bashu， the birthplace of Chinese tea， had artificially cultivated tea trees over 3，000 years ago during the Zhou Dynasty. It was noted by Chang Qu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty that the “fragrant herb” and “aromatic tea” offered as tributes were not obtained from the wild but grown in gardens. “Fragrant herb” refers to a type of aromatic plant， while “aromatic tea” signifies tea. Similarly， it is remarkable that liquor， such as the renowned Luzhou Laojiao， hailed as the “ancestor of strong fragrance，” was historically produced in Ba， an ancient kingdom in the Bashu region， and enjoyed a high reputation. “Baxiangqing，” a type of liquor produced in Luzhou， was once presented as a tribute to the Zhou Dynasty from the ancient Ba kingdom.

Numerous archaeological findings further substantiate this. The world-renowned Sanxingdui site contains a wealth of historical relics dating from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Among the thousands of precious unearthed artifacts， a considerable portion consists of pottery and bronze vessels used for liquor. The earliest pottery found dates back approximately 4，000 years， while the bronze artifacts span from the Shang Dynasty to the late Warring States Period in the Central Plains. In 1959 and 1980， two bronze pits were discovered along Zhuhua Street， Pengzhou City， Sichuan Province， with a mere 10 meters between them， yielding a total of 40 bronze artifacts， including 12 vessels for alcohol. These liquor-related vessels date back to the Spring and Autumn Period， corresponding to the Du Yu Dynasty of the Shu Kingdom. The abundance of these vessels indicates the flourishing brewing industry and prevalent drinking culture in ancient BaShu.

The symbiotic nature of tea and liquor is evident through their shared places of origin， and beverages born in the same time and space are bound to learn from and influence each other. Morevoer， the broad categories within the coexisting environment， from the perspective of genesis， are bound to influence mutually. Whether it is Su Dongpo’s combination of tea and liquor or the Naxi people in Yunnan mixing tea and alcohol in the “Dragon and Tiger Fight，” they are the results of tea and liquor infecting each other within an ecological environment. In one book， it is stated， “As for the catering offered to the king， the food consists of the six grains， the meals are made from the six animals， and the drinks include the six clear beverages.” Among them， “Jiang” is a slightly acidic alcoholic beverage made from fermented fruit juices， “Li” is a light alcoholic beverage made from less malt and more rice， “Liang” is a cold beverage made from fermented rice and water or ice， “Yi”（醫(yī)） is a drink made by adding alcohol to cooked rice porridge， and “Yi”（酏） is a thinner version of “Yi”（醫(yī)）， a thin porridge-like drink. The Chinese collectively referred to these beverages with a sense and taste of alcohol as the “six clear beverages，” with the fragrance of tea topping them all. So it is evident that tea did not emerge from nowhere during that time; it had its ecological environment of coexistence and coordinate system， presenting a clear symbiotic form.

Bertrand Russell once said， “The essence of happiness is diversity.” We can understand this as “the beauty of human life lies in the orderly arrangement of diversity.” The symbiotic nature of tea and liquor teaches us that substances with different forms and natures can harmoniously coexist on the same planet as long as mutual respect is established — unity in diversity.

Chinese Culture of Tea Liquor

Zhang Shikang， Shen Caihong， Wang Xufeng

China Light Industry Press

October 2022

168.00 （CNY）

Zhang Shikang

Zhang Shikang is a Ph.D. holder and professor-level senior engineer. He serves as the director of the Academic Committee of Hangzhou Tea Research Institute of the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. He is also the deputy secretary-general of the National Technical Committee 339 on Tea of Standardization Administration of China and director of the Expert Committee of the China Tea Marketing Association.

Shen Caihong

Shen Caihong is a Ph.D. supervisor and professor-level senior engineer. He is recognized as an academic and technical leader in Sichuan Province， the inaugural “Master Craftsman of Tianfu” and “Master Brewer of China.” He is among the first batch of representative inheritors of national-level intangible cultural heritage projects.

Wang Xufeng

Wang Xufeng is the winner of the fifth Mao Dun Literature Award. He is a nationally acclaimed writer and a professor at Zhejiang Aamp;F University.