The 'Golden Mean': Character of Yellow Rice Wine

The Doctrine of the Mean writes, 'The mean is just God's will. And harmony is a most comprehensive way in world.' Confucianism has always associated the 'mean' with 'harmony' and advocated 'the utmost value of harmony' and universal harmony'. The principle of the mean is the one impartial and always practicable. Not only a principle of ethics, but also an approach to interpersonal interaction or communication, it has been exerting ubiquitous influences on the Chinese people's life. The renowned 'softness and mellowness' of Yellow Rice Wine coincides with the doctrine of the mean preached by Confucians. It has naturally integrated the 'six flavors' i.e. sweetness, sourness, bitterness, pungency, freshness and astringency into an unparalleled and unrivaled character. Any slight overdue inclination to any of the six flavors may be excessive and incur a sorry feeling of imperfection. The taste of the wine should be moderate'. As long as it has achieved moderation, its fascinating integration of all the 'six flavors' tends to remind people of the flavor of life. How is the perfectly even integration of tastes achieved? Should it be attributed to the Almighty Creator, or to the brewers consummate skills, or to both? As for these two questions, there is no need for us to seek final answers. In fact, this quality of yellow Rice Wine, characterized by 'moderation`, is one that other wines or liquors don't have. Spirits is less fresh, too aggressively pungent and slightly less mild; beer is more biter, too light and lacking in thickness; grape wine is a bit too puckery and soft, which affects its taste. Yellow rice wine is free of all these drawbacks. Its moderate flavor combining mellowness,softness, and tastefulness, just like the Chinese people's 'moderate' character, has been deeply loved. Hence, it is not exaggerating at all to praise it as part of the 'quintessence' of Chinese culture.

The `harmony' embodied by yellow rice wine is in line with our current effort to build a harmonious society'. At present, the obsession with money and material comforts have given rise to the destruction of natural harmony', the loss of the harmony between human and nature and intensified interpersonal relationships. The limitless pursuit of sensual pleasures has caused many cases of mental and psychological distortions, which have become a social disease. On the other, the development of socialized production has integrated social production into an integral whole. Therefore,a harmonious and peaceful social environment is urgently needed. Peace and universal harmony Confucianism has valued and the idea of moderation embodied by yellow rice wine may be justifiably associated. Hasn't this association provided a novel way of interpreting the modern meaning of harmony'?