On Han’s Social Conduct From The Perspective Of Drinking Etiquette And Customs

With the unified nation and the relatively stable social life, drinking has come into vogue in the Han Dynasty. The drinking etiquette, systematized in the Western Zhou and developed in the Qin, has been improved and got new development in the Han Dynasty. It gains popularity and gradually forms some drinking customs.In Han Dynasty, seating arrangements and wine sets varies according to the status of people, otherwise impoliteness and offence occurs. Because of the limitation on nighttime activities, the drinking banquet is generally held during the daytime, excluding the situation that one drinks alone. Han Dynasty have witnessed numerous festivals, therefore drinking customs during the festivals have initially come into convention.Han’s people usually drink for entertainment, politics and communication. By alcohol they either pursue relaxation, happiness and delight the mind; or aim to achieve certain political purposes, or to improve the relationship between them.Han Dynasty worships the ancestors and gods with wines. The ritual is very strict, and wine varies according to different objects of worship. Sacrificing the delicious food to the ancestors and gods, people hope to get asylum and bless from them. According to the attended people, the drinking banquet can be defined as three types:the feast of the royal, of the nobility and the rich, and of the middle and lower classes. the fist two pay more attention to the drinking etiquette, while the last highlights the customs of drinking. For the upper class, drinking banquet is very common, while for the lower and middle classes, it only happens in the case of major festivals, weddings and funerals, and the seldom-happened privilege of the emperor. Drinking privately at home alone or together with several friends is a good thing. In this case, wine is a complete representation of the happiness, rather than the tool of feudal ethics. The lower and middle classes and the travelers are the frequent visitors to the wine taverns, where a wide range of services are provided in that wine taverns have been well developed in the Han Dynasty. Moreover, many women operating taverns reflects that Han’s women are not deeply influenced by the Confucianism. Through the study of the drinking etiquette and customs of the Han Dynasty, the characteristics of etiquette and customs in that period can be deduced as follows:etiquette is popularized and secularized; etiquette and customs varies in unity; etiquette and customs become increasingly stereotyped. In Han Dynasty, the morally public consciousness of people is strengthened; people are open-minded, self-esteemed yet superstitious; they emphasis reciprocity.Uncivilized phenomena in present society have triggered a reflection on the etiquette missing. The study of this paper can fully exploit the spiritually and culturally excellent connotations of China’s traditional etiquette culture. Therefore, it’ll not only provide a historical basis for the establishment and implementation of the modern etiquette and customs; but also give some suggestive guides in promoting the harmony of personal communication and of the whole society in modern days.