An Introduction to Chinese and British Drinking Culture

British Wine Culture

寧穎 ? ? 翁希（指導老師）

（湖南省邵東市第三中學643班，湖南 ? 邵陽 ? 422819）

As an island country， the Great Britain is mild but foggy. Therefore， the British prefer to stay indoors for a drink.

There are many kinds of popular wines in the UK， like Beer， Brandy， Whisky. Beer plays an vital role in British life. Therefore， many proverbs related to it aroused. For example， “on the beer” means “binge drinking， drunk in”; “beer and skittles” means “ live a cozy and relaxing life”. Brandy is concentrated from gape wines. When the British are making Christmas pudding， they will mix some brandy butter to improve the sweet. In Middle Ages， the Alchemist found the technology of producing distilled liquor， the typical wine for the New Year’s Eve dinner whisky appeared.

In general， the British wine culture is a major feature of the Great Britain.

Chinese Tea Culture

蔣思 ? ? ?翁希（指導老師）

（湖南省邵東市第三中學642班，湖南 ? 邵陽 ? 422819）

Tea is native to China， which has a history of more than 4，000 years. It is said that tea was discovered accidentally by Yan Emperor， one of the three rulers in ancient times. It became popular during Tang dynasty and Song dynasty.

According to the degree of fermentation， Chinese tea can be roughly classified into Green Tea， Oolong Tea， Scented Tea， Black Tea， Dark Tea， White Tea and Yellow Tea， among which Green Tea is the most popular in China， like West Lake Longjing Tea. It is traditionally pan-fired and has a distinctive flat appearance. The Black Tea is not only stronger in flavor， but also easier to keep for a long time. Therefore， it becomes the most widely used tea in making iced tea and English tea.

Not only does tea have a good flavor but it benefits our body. It can lower blood pressure， improve eyesight， reduce stress and restrain diseases. All in all， Chinese tea culture is not only the reflection of diet culture， but also fusion of Confucianism， Taoism and Buddhism， whose core spirit is “harmonious”.

British Afternoon Tea

申盈 ? ? ?翁希（指導老師）

（湖南省邵東市第三中學643班，湖南 ? 邵陽 ? 422819）

We might be surprised that the British love afternoon tea deeply. The custom of taking afternoon tea is believed to have been first introduced in England in 1840 by Anna， the Seventh Duchess of Bedford. Soon， it became fashionable.

In fact， afternoon tea is more than just a drink--- sometimes it's a complete meal. Traditional afternoon tea consists of a selection of light snack foods like sandwiches， pastry scones， cakes and fruit served with a pot of tea. Usually， tea snacks are loaded with three snack porcelain plates. Sandwiches are on the bottom layer， scones in the middle， and cakes and fruit on the top. The guests should eat from the bottom to the top.

British afternoon tea is a comprehensive art， simple and gorgeous but not shabby and vulgar.

Chinese Wine Culture

楊子妍 ? ? ?翁希（指導老師）

（湖南省邵東市第三中學642班，湖南 ? 邵陽 ? 422819）

Chinese wine， with its long history and numerous varieties， enjoys great prestige both at home and abroad， which has a deep influence on every aspect of Chinese social life. It is present in every important situation， such as sending off an army on expedition， celebrating victory， wedding and festivals or welcoming guests.

When drinking， Chinese people often play drinking games， like Throw Arrow into a Pot， whose goal is not to get drunk， but heighten drinking atmosphere. There are also strict wine-drinking manners in China. For example， the host should propose a toast to the prime guests first. Then the others propose a toast to prime guests， followed by the prime guests’ answering toast. Besides， when clinking glasses， one should put his glass lower than the other， which is the symbol of etiquette and respect.

湖南省邵東市第一中學英語教師翁希近年來一直致力于“在英語教學中培養跨文化意識”的研究。以上四篇習作是其學生習作（中西方文化介紹）中的優秀作品，第一篇為《英語酒文化》，第二篇為《英國下午茶文化》，第三篇為《中國茶文化》，第四篇為《中國酒文化》。