中西酒文化差异

中西酒文化差异 On the Difference between Chinese and Western Wine Culture Nowadays, with the expansion of communication between China and Western countries and the globalization of the world, the differences between Chinese and Western cultures have been attracted much more attention, for example, the differences of wine culture is one of which focused as an issue. The wine is considered as the gift given by the god of wine. Wine culture has a long history and wine plays an important role in people’s daily life, and it combines people’s lives and interpersonal communication in all aspects. On the other hand, as a linker of inheriting history and leading to the future, wine is an article that deserves our earnest study. Because of the differences of living environment, historical background， traditions, values and thinking mode，social norms and culture, wine culture has a different connotation in different countries and regions and shows the characteristics of disparate style as a kind of profound cultural phenomenon. Wine culture is one of the irreplaceable parts of a country’s historic development and culture sediment.Through comparing the origin and the material and category of wine-making,drinking customs,the communicative function and drinking culture between China and the West,this paper further compares the difference between Chinese and the Western culture,especially the value.This paper will introduce wine culture from three aspects. 1. The Background of Wine Culture 1.1 Wine Culture in China It is well-known to us that China's wine culture has 5000 years of history, has a long history of wine in our wine culture, the development of long-term process, making many as the "Shen Pin" 'Qiongjiang "wine treasures. China is ahead of the world's ancient civilizations, is the home of wine. China five thousand years of history, wine and liquor culture always occupies an important place. Wine is a special kind of food that belong to the material, but also with people's spiritual life. In the broad sense, wine culture including wine technology with thousands of years’ enhancement, technological level, legal system and drinking customs; in the narrow sense, wine culture is just referred to drinking etiquette, custom and anecdote. There are many experts devote themselves to the research of wine culture, but it’s difficult to give a clear definition. Wine culture represents different characteristics in different times and has different effects on society. As a special kind of cultural forms , wine culture has a unique position in traditional Chinese cultural .Different cultural background and different walks of life, different people, and even different frame of mind which was to understand the extent of different ways.Talking about China's fine tradition of wine culture, wine and poetry had mentioned the close relationship between the poetry of wine is given a new interpretation of the source of origin so that the culture of wine in a long, and is deeply rooted. From ancient times people do not know the number of Jie Jiu literati ink to write a good poem passed down until today, to express his or hi or bad feelings, a lot of people describe the beauty away. China-made wine dates back to ancient times, variety, meta, the renowned wines. Rice wine is the world's oldest wine, about three thousand years ago, the era of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Chinese original, Koji penthouse fermentation began a large number of wine. About a thousand years ago, the Chinese Song dynasty who invented the Distiller, liquor law, became the main Chinese people to drink alcohol. Wine penetration to the entire China five thousand years of civilization, history, literary and artistic creation and cultural entertainment to diet cooking, health care, and other aspects of Chinese life in occupies an important position. Wine is one of the oldest food, it is almost history and the history of human culture began. Since the wine appear, as a matter of culture, wine, its history and economic history of synchronization, but wine is not only a kind of food, it also has a spiritual and cultural value. As a spiritual culture it is reflected in the social and political life, literary arts and even people's attitude towards life, aesthetics, and many other aspects. In this sense, the drink is not just drinking and drinking, it has also been drinking culture. 1.2 Wine Culture in the West In the west, wine culture is also a richly historical culture. In most time, wine culture refers to grape wine in west countries. To western people, wine is a special kind of art and has its glamour. When we meet troubles in our daily life or feel sad, wine can help us become strong and comfort us. So there is no doubt that wine culture is not only a kind of material culture but also a kind of a spiritual culture. Owing to the different cultural backgrounds, the western people’s understanding of the wine culture tends to the symbol of the right and gives it elegant and luxury image.The Bible The earliest written account of viniculture is in the Old Testament of the Bible which tells us that Noah planted a vineyard and made wine. 2. The application of the wine culture 2.1 The way of holding wine glasses Many Westerners agree with such a view that we can determine whether a man knows wine, whether it is a quality person from the way he holding wine glasses. Here the following is a summary of several etiquette when the people drinking. In the western restaurant, in order to let the guests identify the quality of the wine , the waiter usually pour a little wine to the guests. What you have to do is take a sip and if you think there is no problem you should say good to the waiter and then the waiter will pour wine in order to help you, then you should put the wine glass down on the table instead of get hands on the wine glasses. In the Western liturgy, the correct way is to pour half of filling the cup ( champagne can be filled two-thirds of the wine glass), please do not fill the wine cup as we Chinese do .When drinking brandy, please use your whole hand to wrap the bottom of the cup in order to keep the temperature of the wine and increase the aroma of wine. When drinking wine you should hold the feet of the wine glass with your fingers because the wine should be drink in a lower temperature. So as to avoid your hand increase the temperature of the wine temperature, your should let your thumb and middle finger and index finger holding the feet of the cup and keep your little finger on the bottom of the cup .When you are drinking a little jiggle have contact with air to add the wine tastes mellow of fierce, but don't shake the cup. in addition, a gulp, and drink the wine glass to see through glass, and took the words and drinking and eating, drinking and the lipstick mark in the cup edge is considered improper behavior . When you are holding the cup please ensure that your elbows keep distance with the table and that is very important. 2.2 Etiquette of Drinking Wine is a medium to understand the culture of different countries. Knowing the etiquette of drinking can reduce the misunderstandings in social activities and promote communications between peoples. After careful studies, we can find that there are some differences of etiquette of drinking between China and Western countries. China is a country known as ceremony and pay attention to etiquette. Talk freely about the saying “No Custom without Wine”, etiquette of drinking is becoming an important part of life. Chinese drinking etiquette reflects the respect for the drinker. There is fixed seating and a fixed toast times about who is the master, who is the guest. Toast normally chooses after eating the main course, and before the sugar beet is not on. The cup must be held on the eyes level when the toast happen. The toast must begin from the master and watch each other, and at least drink a little wine to show respect. Others are not qualified to respect until the master finished .If the toast order is upset the person who upset the toast order will be fined. Toast must be started from the most distinguished guests, at this time the wine should be full of so that the most distinguished guests can be respected. Not only younger people toast to the elders, and subordinates take the initiative to propose a toast to the higher levels, but also should drink first in order to show respect. The Jiuling, Finger Guessing Game etiquette of wine, but also to make drinkers thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Obviously, Chinese wine culture deeply influenced by Chinese culture and traditional ethics of hierarchy of seniority, during drinking alcohol the respect for those who drinking was placed in the most important position. Western drinking wine etiquette demonstrates respect for wine. Drinking wine must watch their color, smell their fragrance, taste its quality, and mobilize all kind of sensory to enjoy nice wine. In the sequence of drinking, pay attention to the first drink after drink red wine, white wine, the first lighter wine In the sequence of drinking, it is necessary to pay attention to the order of drinking. White wine should be first and after red wine, the first lighter wine following Re-bodied wine to drink a short year wine and then drink a long year wine, changes gradually in-depth change in the enjoyment of wine flavor. The selection of wine device, also revolve around how to get the full enjoyment of drinking on the drinkers. Let aroma convergence on mouth of the tulip-type goblet cup, and even for wine temperature degree specially designed thermometer, without exception, demonstrate respect for Westerners wine, and their Drinking etiquette is for a better appreciation of wine. In the West people rarely Toast each other, they usually drink separately. Only in certain occasions, they will join in a toast. If a time like this is usually the person after the speech, they are blessing a person, or to celebrate something for someone. 2.3Drinking Habits Several major Chinese festival of the year have a corresponding drinking activities, such as the Dragon Boat Festival drink "calamus wine". Suspended drink "chrysanthemum wine". In some places, such as Jiangxi, people gathered to drink after planting the cereal crop or to celebrate the harvest time. “liquor of daughter in the south" According to the earliest record by the "Southern Grasses" that the southern people began to make wine when their daughter was seven years old. Then they bury the brewed wine when their daughter got married. This kind of wine was inherited in Shaoxing and developed to be famous as "Huadiao jiu". Another difference exists in the custom of drinking wine. As is known to us, China is a big country with 56 nationalities and vast territory. Most of the nations have its own distinctive wine and custom of drinking wine. However, there still exists the common character: encouraging people to drink. While in western countries, no one will encourage you to drink. It is up to you to drink or not. No one would associate toasting people with the face. If there exists buying wine culture, that is, today I buy the wine for you in a bar; tomorrow you will buy for me. Wine culture brings about the difference of ideology of flows. Wine culture that caused great affection on the east and west civilization is embodied in the feminism. In the west, fete is an important means of worship of wine. The housewives and girls gathered in wild mountains to dance and enjoy themselves the whole night. Women could communicate with any people. Although the man was discontented with this, he could not have any complaints. This tradition was handed down. As a result, women got almost the same status with the man in the west. The worship of wine came along with the mysterious worship of maternity, which rippled in the civilization of the west. It was not the case in China. Although at the beginning, the wine was brewed for the daughter of Yu, women were deprived of right of drinking wine by man. The girls in The Dream of Red Mansion mostly drank fruit wine. The liquor, repetitive of wine, was the patent of men, such as Jia Zheng. The status of women was gradually promoted after the spread of western culture during the period of Fourth Five. Women have the same right of drinking wine in modern times. 3.Different Communicative Functions and Drinking Culture Chinese wine culture is the doctrine of partial male. Since ancient times, “wine” was always used by men as the signboard and mask of their entertainment .By the “wine” of power, things will line. Things can be done easier by the power of wine. CaoCao used wine to test whether troops under his command were loyal to him. Wine and beauty seem always to go together; both are men’s tool to release their pressure. Actually, with the collapse of the feudalism, women were no longer regarded as men’s vassal. Nevertheless, in most case, women are often still at arm’s length speak of love. The western wine culture joined more feminist factors and is relatively neutral. In western countries, there is not only spirits for men but also cocktails and champagne with a sweet or fruity taste and beautiful color for women to drink. Female drinking is socially accepted, and fends to be neutral on the whole. Conclusion Wine plays an important in our daily life. People’s life becomes colorful with it. As regards the wine culture, there exists difference between China and the western countries. The raw material and drinking custom is different in terms of geography. There also exist similarities. Both China and western countries have some beautiful legends about the origin of wine and the symbol wine of spirit, leading to the birth of romanticism and the development of mainstream belief. The development of world wine culture depends on the intercommunication of different nations. Thus, communicating with other nations is helpful and indispensable to the development of wine culture. Some methods can be done to promote intercommunication. There is no doubt that the wine culture was gradually formed after the appearing of wine. With the rapid development of science and technology ,more and more people believe that wine culture is playing an important role in our life . While we pride ourselves on the long history of wine culture we only to find that we depend excessively on the traditional wine culture. It is generally acknowledged that China is far away from the western countries. As a result, the way to drink is different. Even in China, there is also some difference between nationalities on the way to drink. There is also some similarities of wine culture between China and western countries although the difference exists. For example, both China and western countries have a beautiful legend about the origin of wine. The development of wine spirit accompanied with wine culture. While wine culture developed to a certain degree, schools of ideology came into being. In order to push the development of wine culture we should do our utmost to promote the international communication of the wine culture.