Lu Xun, Studying the World with a Wine Cup in Hand

Lun Xun had a lot of poems and essays on drinking, especially the article [Writings and Grace of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and Their Relationship with Drugs and Wine", in which he dwelled upon the role wine played in the literary creations and psychologies of the writers with a view on the Seven Intellectuals in the Bamboo Forest. He also discussed the merits of alcohol, and showed a cutting edge in his talking about the past and the present and his condemnation of the unhealthy tendencies. Most of Lu Xun`s novels mentioned wine. It can be said that the booming business of Xianheng Wine Shop is due to Lu Xun`s masterpieces. Of course, Xianheng Wine Shop provides an important environment for the characters in Lu Xun`s novels. The character Kong Yiji was based on his neighbor, the literati drunkard [Pedant Meng". In addition, a number of Lu Xun`s words, such as [Diary of a Madman", [The True Story of Ah Q", [In the Drinking House", [Hometown", [Well Wishes" and so on, all wrote about people bu describing wine, or wrote about wine by depicting people. All these works gave off the fragrance of Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine, and brought us back to that particular atmosphere in the 1920`s, added charm to that special environment. It can be said that without profound experience about Shaoxing yellow Rice Wine and the wine customs, Lu Xun would not have been able to render such a vivid and lifelike depiction of the wine country.