Drinking chrysanthemum wine

Drinking chrysanthemum wine and appreciating chrysanthemum are main Chinese culture customs, too. According to a book named Xi Jing Za Ji wrote by Liu Xin of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), when chrysanthemums bloom, pick the leaves and stems to make wine together with grains and rice; then keep the wine until the next 9th, September lunar; on the Double Ninth Festival, the wine can be drunk. So this wine is called chrysanthemum wine. There are many kinds of chrysanthemums. Wine made from edible chamomile and white chrysanthemum taste pure and fresh.

Summer in China, Lotus will bloom. When chrysanthemum blooms in September, boil the flower of chrysanthemum to juice and make wine with distiller’s yeast. Drink the wine on the next 9th, September can get rid of bad luck. Cao Pi used to write an essay to praise the chrysanthemum wine, for it can promote longevity. At the beginning of Opium War, Guan Tianpei, the naval officer of Canton at the time, drew a painting of chrysanthemums to celebrate his mother’s 80th birthday and the painting has the meaning of longevity. Both Lin Zexu and Deng Tingyan wrote poems for this painting. Chrysanthemum wine has the functions of curing headaches, improve eyesight, calming liver and heat-clearing. The ancient people thought that drinking the chrysanthemum wine frequently can promote longevity. It is the most practical medicinal liquor in Chinese culture.

Appreciating chrysanthemums

Appreciating chrysanthemums is also one of the activities of Double Ninth Festival. In Chinese culture, the chrysanthemum expression is noble. Cao Cao used to send a letter to Zhong Yao and with a chrysanthemum flower. We can see from this that since the Period of Three Kingdoms, there had been the custom that emperor bestows chrysanthemum to his courtiers. On the good festival, the autumn air is fresh and it is the time for chrysanthemum to bloom. Sheets of golden yellow flowers bloom in front of fences and doors. At this time, it will be extremely interesting to appreciate chrysanthemums, drink wine and writing poems. Talking about appreciating chrysanthemums, people will think of the poem of Tao Yuanming, “采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。” The famous poet of Eastern Jin Dynasty, Tao Yuanming loved chrysanthemums the most, for chrysanthemums bloom at the time when frost falls.

Tao Yuanming lived in dark and corrupted Eastern Jin Dynasty and he hated the society situation. His character is just like chrysanthemum, unsullied and righteous. He resigned from the dark officialdom and went back to his hometown to be a farmer. When he was free, he planted many chrysanthemums beside the fences in the east of his yard. Tao was very fond of drinking alcohol. But because he became poor after resignation, he always suffered from shortage of alcohol. One Double Ninth Festival, the chrysanthemums bloomed again, Tao was appreciating his chrysanthemums at fences. He was very sad for no alcohol to let him drink. He can only pick a bunch of chrysanthemums to smell and taste in order to dispel melancholy. At this moment, a messenger in white sent by Wang Hong, Tao’s friend in Jiang Zhou brought him alcohol. Tao was so exciting that he opened the bottle and drank in front of chrysanthemums. Every time when his chrysanthemums bloomed, neighbors and residents nearby would visit him and appreciate chrysanthemums in his yard. Tao once wished that if only chrysanthemums could have bloomed on every 9th, September lunar. Unexpectedly, from then on all the chrysanthemums bloom on this day. Friends and relatives of Tao Yuanming would go to his house and appreciate chrysanthemums and praised that these chrysanthemums didn’t let the owner Tao down. They came to appreciate chrysanthemums every Double Ninth Festival and nominated these chrysanthemums in Tao’s yard the name of “Double Ninth Chrysanthemum”.

In ancient Chinese culture, people loved chrysanthemums, appreciated chrysanthemums and praised chrysanthemums. The most known poem that praises chrysanthemum is Chrysanthemums (《菊花》) wrote by Huang Chao.
待到秋来九月八，我花开后百花杀。
冲天香阵透长安，满城尽带黄金甲。
This poem expresses the invincible spirit of the farmer Rebel Force by praising chrysanthemums.

September is called “the month of chrysanthemum”, for chrysanthemums bloom in this month. In Qing Dynasty some places of China would hold grand chrysanthemum feasts and chrysanthemum show. Nowadays, many cities in China will hold chrysanthemum exhibitions in parks. This is the inheritance of the custom.