Jars for Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine

In Chapter 70 of his Flowers in the Mirror, Ming novelist Li Ruzhen wrote, 'Every time I went overseas, I always brought a lot of Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine with me. Even though I did not return for ages, I could drown my loneliness with it. The jars used to hold the wine, after emptied, were put casually in the boat cabin, which gradually made an enormous pile. I had never expected that the luck with wealth would find me when I drifted to the Tall Men's Land, and that I could make a fortune there of these empty jars. Later, when I travelled to the Little Men's Land, I profited handsomely from silkworm cocoons.' A glance through these words may readily reveal the following facts: First, Li Ruzhen loved Shaoxing yellow Rice Wine ardently and only the wine could help relieve him of boredom and his woes during the long voyages. Second, the wine from Yue deserved the reputation as the beverage that swept across 'the land under Heaven', which does not refer to ancient China only, as it usually does, but has extended to include at least the countries in Southeast Asia. Otherwise, the wine would not have been taken by the author to the alien lands he visited. It has been an irrefutable truth that this famous special product from China has been exported long before. Third,Shaoxing yellow rice wine was held in jars, which, apart from its direct function, may have such values as to be worthy of being collected or used as ornaments. This explains why the voyager could make a fortune of the empty jars.

An investigation of historical facts may lead use to find out that clay jars had been predominantly used to contain Shaoxing yellow rice wine over ages. The material for this kind of container was of such a magical density that, when they were used to store wine, not only allowed no leaking, but also kept the wine breathing through the capillary holes in the clay which connected the insides with the outside. In the course of its breathing, the power of the wine continues to weaken as the wine ages and gains more and more aroma. Generations after generations' craftsmen have constantly improved these containers until they gradually finalize their designs and specifications in such a way as to constitute series suitable for transportation, which include ultra-large jars (60kg, 50kg, 45kg and 32kg), extra-large jars (30kg), 'large capital-used jars (25kg), 'small capital-used' jars (5kg), xingshi jars (16kg) and 'sample wine' jars(9kg). In the meantime, as the techniques and practices concerning the production, transportation, and storage of Shaoxing yellow rice wine continue to improve, the shape of jars have gradually finalized and adopted the unique structure featuring large upper part and small bottom. Don't regard this as a simple aesthetic design. A close study may reveal that it complies with many scientific principles. First, the shape is a result of the unique techniques of making Shaoxing yellow rice wine. According to the specifications exacted by traditional techniques, after Shaoxing yellow rice wine was brewed, it must be kept in a shady, well-ventilated place. When the jars are piled together, because of their shape, there are enough space which allows good air circulation and slight respiration which contribute to the aging of the stored beverage,so that the longer it is stored, the more thorough the biochemical activities become, the more mellow and fragrant it becomes. If the jar had a larger bottom and a smaller upper part, though it made stacking more stable, the ventilation would become poor and carrying it would be less convenient. Second, this unique shape will be conducive to the clarification and convenient access of the wine. As a Chinese saying goes, A bottle of aging wine has a thousand layers of sediment. Long storage makes it possible for the precipitate of the proteins in Shaoxing yellow rice wine to deposit continuously. While the smaller lower part of the jar is conducive the precipitation process, the larger upper part makes it easier for us to clarify and access the wine. Third, the shape of the jar also makes for easy transportation. The sizes of the jars are just right for one person's handling. During transportation, the jars of Shaoxing yellow rice wine are often bound together by soft ropes with active nodes, which are easy to handle and practical. The shape of the jars makes it very easy to fasten jars with ropes This seemingly simple method has many merits. It must have taken great wisdom for the Chinese labor people to devise such a way. Up to today, jars that are used to hold Shaoxing yellow rice wine have retained their original shape, and it will be very unlikely that the shape will be changed in the future.