Wine was like the “must – have happy drink for the laid – back” in the Tang Dynasty. Accompanied by wine, Li Bai, the celestial poet, left behind eternal masterpieces such as “All men of talent are bound to be useful; Though thousands of pieces of gold are spent, they will come back again” and “The cloud suggests her dress, the flower her face; The spring breeze caresses the balustrade, dew glistens thick”. It’s well – known that Li Bai was extremely fond of wine. He drank when he was in high spirits and also when he was down. He drank alone, at parties, in taverns, and even in the imperial palace… His poems and wine accompanied him throughout his life. Among Li Bai‘s over 1,000 poems, about 200 of them mentioned drinking. Aren’t you curious about what kind of wine Li Bai drank and why he never seemed to get drunk even after drinking so much? In fact, during the Tang Dynasty, the foreign wines that came to the Central Plains along the Silk Road were once extremely popular on the streets and alleys of Chang’an. For example, Sanlejiang (三勒浆) from Persia, grape wine from Gaochang (高昌), Longgao (龙膏酒) wine, etc… Their alcohol content was not as high as that of modern wines, and the taste wasn’t that strong. Overall, they were relatively mild.

Types of Wine

In fact, generally speaking, all wines can be roughly classified into three categories. One is huangjiu ( yellow wine), which is mainly made from yellow rice, regular rice, or glutinous rice. Another is fruit wines, like grape wine which is made from fruits. The third is compound wines, which are processed by mixing rice wine with other kinds of spirits.

1. Grape Wine

“Luminous cups brimming with grape wine,
The pipa’s war call cuts through our feast.”

There “luminous cups” is believed to glow when filled with wine, “pipa” here mimics cavalry drums, abruptly shifting from revelry to battlefield urgency. The Western Regions have been rich in grapes since ancient times, so grape wine was also very famous.

The introduction of grape wine to the Central Plains can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. According to the “Biography of the Dayuan in Records of Shiji (《史记·大宛列传》)”, in 138 BC, Zhang Qian (张骞), under the order of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, was dispatched on a mission to the Western Regions. He saw that in the capital of Dayuan, people made wine from grapes. Wealthy families had stored tens of thousands of dan (石, a unit of capacity in ancient China, one dan is about 60 kilograms in modern measurement) of grape wine, and some of it could remain unspoiled for decades. Later, the Han envoys brought back the seeds of grapes and also recruited winemakers, and grape wine began to spread in the Central Plains.

During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the Gaochang Kingdom, which is today’s Turpan, was pacified. Turpan is rich in grapes. As recorded in the “Cefu Yuangui (《册府元龟》)”: “After conquering Gaochang, the horse-teat grapes were collected and planted in the imperial garden, and the winemaking method was also obtained. The emperor adjusted the method himself and made wine, which had eight colors in total, fragrant, spicy and intense. After bestowing it to the ministers, people in the capital began to know its taste.” See? Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty personally studied the winemaking process and even bestowed the wine to his ministers to taste together.

Of course, before the Tang Dynasty, grape wine was imported from the Western Regions, but it was no longer the case later. So, if you accidentally traveled back in time to the Tang Dynasty and someone tried to deceive you that the wine was from the Western Regions, just take it with a grain of salt.  

2. Sanlejiang

Sanlejiang (三勒浆) was a fine wine introduced to the Tang Dynasty from Persia. Li Zhao of the Tang Dynasty wrote in “Guoshi Bu (《国史补》)”(Supplementary Records of National History): “There is also Sanlejiang. Its winemaking method originated from Persia. The so-called ‘three le’ refer to Amla, Bibhitaki, and Chebulic Myrobalan.” Huang Tingjian wrote in the poem “Geng Lou Zi (Yugan Tang)/《更漏子(余甘汤)》” (Yugan Tang means a soup with a lingering sweet taste after the initial bitterness, related to Amla): “Amla, a fruit from the Western Regions. After the frost, they are like glistening pearls one by one. Relying on the jade rabbit (a mythical rabbit in the moon, here metaphorically for the process of making the drink), the fragrant powder is pounded. It is regarded as a treasure on the dining table. It is called Yugan (a name related to the taste of Amla), but it is surprisingly bitter. When getting on the horse (here may imply a parting moment), it is entrusted. Think about its aftertaste, and then ponder over it. Try to taste this advice like the flavor of Yugan.”

Bibhitaki, also known as the “three-fruit”, has a tree that resembles a walnut tree, and the fruits are also shaped like walnuts. The core is round and short without edges. “Chebulic Myrobalan (诃梨勒)” is the name of a plant, an evergreen tree, and its fruits can be used as medicine. Ji Han (嵇含) of the Jin Dynasty recorded in “Records of Plants in the South (《南方草木状》)”: “The Chebulic Myrobalan tree is similar to the Terminalia chebula tree. Its flowers are white, and the fruits are shaped like olives with six ridges. The flesh and the skin are attached to each other, and it can be made into a drink.”

From the above, we can know that Amla, Bibhitaki, and Chebulic Myrobalan were all fruits produced in Persia. There is no record in historical materials about how Sanlejiang was made, but it is certain that combining these three could make a unique fruit wine.

3. Longgao Wine

Longgao Wine (龙膏酒) is a kind of health – promoting wine brewed from crocodiles. According to the record in “Du Yang Za Bian (《杜阳杂编》)” written by Su E (苏鹗) in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xianzong of Tang (唐宪宗) once summoned the recluse Yiqi Xuanjie (伊祈玄解) into the palace and they drank Longgao Wine. “It was as black as pure lacquer, and drinking it could make people feel refreshed. This wine was originally presented by the Kingdom of Wuyishanli.” Regarding the Kingdom of Wuyishanli, as recorded in the “Biography of the Western Regions” in the “Book of the Later Han (《后汉书·西域传》)”: “Starting from Pishan and going southwest through Wuzha, crossing the Xuandu Pass, passing through Jibin, after more than sixty days’ journey, one would reach the Kingdom of Wuyishanli, which covered an area of thousands of square li. At that time, its name was changed to Paichi.”

Drinking Vessels

1. Parrot Cup

The Parrot Cup was made from the shell of a nautilus. The shell had a curved, vermilion beak, which resembled that of a parrot, hence the name. The internal air chamber structure of the nautilus shell allowed the wine to flow out layer by layer, as if it could never be finished. Therefore, it was also known as the “never – empty” cup.

2. Golden Po Luo

According to textual research, the Golden Po Luo (金叵罗) is an open – mouthed, shallow – bottomed, round drinking vessel or container made of gold or inlaid with gold. It was regarded as a precious item for tribute or sacrifice and was widely used by the upper class society. This wine vessel was specifically used for drinking grape wine. Li Bai once wrote in his poem, “Grape wine in a golden Po Luo.”

3. Stemmed Cup

Among the vast majority of unearthed wine cups from the Tang Dynasty that we can see today, gold and silver cups account for the majority. Various techniques such as casting, polishing, chiseling, gilding, and welding were often used. The single – handle cup’s shape originated from Sogdian culture, while the stemmed cup may have originated from Byzantine utensils. The decorative patterns are all in the typical Tang Dynasty style, including fish roe ground patterns, grape vine patterns, honeysuckle patterns, various patterns of flying birds, beasts, lotus patterns, and cross flower patterns, etc. Exquisitely made and with complex craftsmanship, they are representative works of gold and silver wares in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

4. Wine Bowl

In the animated film “Chang’an (《长安三万里》)”, Li Bai is shown drinking from this golden bowl, which is the cultural relic, the Golden Bowl with Mandarin Duck and Lotus Petal Patterns. There is a mandarin duck at the center of the outer wall of the bowl bottom, facing each other with their heads turned back. The overall shape of the bowl is like a blooming golden lotus flower. The outer wall is hammered to create double – layer lotus petals, which are arranged alternately and closely fit each other. Although the golden bowl is small, its patterns are exquisite, unique, and grand, and its level of refinement is truly amazing. The patterns on the bowl were all hammered out bit by bit by craftsmen, making people marvel at the preciousness of the craftsmanship. This cultural relic is also one of the treasures in the Shaanxi History Museum.

These luxurious and exquisite wine cups are truly peerless in beauty. No wonder some people say that they would be willing to drink even if the wine in them was poisoned. In fact, besides these gold and silver cups, there were many other styles of wine cups in the Tang Dynasty, such as crystal cups, glass cups, and amber cups.

5. Glass Cup with Raised Patterns

The glass manufacturing industry in ancient China was not well – developed. Most of the unearthed glass utensils before the Tang Dynasty were imported from foreign regions. There are round patterns on the cup body. At that time, there were no molds, and these patterns could only be made using the technique of pasting glass strips. That is, the glass strips melted at high temperatures were picked out and pressed onto the cup body while they were hot. After cooling, this effect was formed. It was a kind of high – end custom – made product by hand in a high – temperature environment. So, here comes the question. If there is a chance to travel back to the Tang Dynasty, would bringing such a large box of glass cups immediately make one rich?

Summary

After looking at so many types of wine and wine cups, have you decided what you would like to drink if you could travel back to the Tang Dynasty? Well, perhaps you should stop and think again. Only if you were to be reborn as a noble of an aristocratic family in the Tang Dynasty could you enjoy a life of feasting and revelry every night. In modern society, various fine wines have also been improved in terms of taste and raw materials. It’s better to stay comfortably in your own little home and savor some wine. After all, what if you were to travel back in time and be reincarnated as a pig? You’d be hard – pressed to escape death during the Spring Festival! 😱