On the Naming of Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine

In ancient times, Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine was named in many ways, either after the place it was produced, or after something related, or after relevant anecdotes or stories. To sum it up, it names may be classified into the following types:

I. Lao. As recorded in History of Kuaiji compiled in the years of Jiatai in the Song Dynasty, `Goujian, the King of Yue, boosted the morale of his troops by sharing with them the wine poured into a river and eventually accomplished over lordship.' History of the Spring and Autumn Period by Lu Buwei writes, 'The King of Yue lived in Kuaiji. Whenever he had wine, he would pour it into the river and share it with his people. As a result, their morale was immensely bolstered.'

II. Shanyin sweet wine. As recorded in Collection of the Scholar in the Golden Mansion (Jin Lou Zi) by Xiao Yi, the Yuandi Emperor of Liang during the Northern Dynasty, 'When I was young, I often hid in the red yarn mosquito net in the evening of summer. I also had a silver bowl to contain some Shanyin sweet wine. It was very common that I lay and read there up to the next dawn.'

II. Wine of Yue. As recorded in History of Kuaiji County, 'In the Period of the Five Dynasties, whereas the warlords in the Central Plains region were locked in war, the Kings of Yue surnamed Qian strived to develop agriculture and the textile industry. Consequently, the wine of Yue won popularity across China.' According to the account in Notes form the Garden of Dreams (Meng Yuan Cong Shuo) by Qing scholar Fang Junyi, `The wine of Yue is also prevalent in wine shops of the imperial capital, where I binged with my friends and was often drunk all day long.'

IV. Shaoxing. As written in Volume VIII of A Collection of Culinary Arts (TiaoDing Ji, a book on cooking composed in the Qing Dynasty), `...My homeland Yue is an exception. As a prefecture, it has Shanyin, Kuaiji, Xiaoshan, Yuyao, Zhuji, Shangyu, Xinchang and Shengxian under its jurisdiction. However, only the wine produced in Shanyin and Kuaiji, known as Shaoxing, won popularity across China. It is the water there that does the trick. For instance, Dongpu and Luzhuang in Shanyin, Wurongand Sunduan in Kuaji, are cases in point. The wine made there has a light yet tasteful flavor, which is neither too warm nor too cool. Hence it is regarded as the best.'

V. `Daughter's wine' or Huadiao. As detailed in Ji Han's The Encyclopedia of Plants in the South, 'when a daughter of a southern family reaches several years old, they make a lot of wine. In winter when ponds dry up, they use jars to hold the wine, seal them and bury them underground at a pond slope. Before the daughter is married, the wine is dug out and used to treat guests at her wedding. This wine, called Nvjiu, or the daughter's wine", tastes superb.' According to the records in Sequel to a Vagrant's Travel Notes by Qing scholar Liang Zhangju, The best of yellow Rice Wine is called the daughter's wine. Legend has it that, when the daughter of a rich family reaches one month old, they brew several jars of this kind of wine and keep them. W hen they marry her away, the wine is used as part of her dower. In recent over ten years, the jars begin to be decorated with colored paintings. They are called Huadiao.'