羌年
Qiang New Year: zajiu around the jar
1st day of the 10th lunar month (usually November)
At the Qiang New Year, families sit in a circle around a jar of zajiu and drink through long bamboo tubes, with songs and drums.
The hidden road →
Wine →
travel
Taste it in China
Three days among the vineyards of Ningxia, with roast lamb, hotpot and the winemakers behind the bottles. Use code WINESILKROAD for a discount on Lost Plate tours.
Discover the trips →Choose your road
Pick a drink and travel its road, west to east, one region at a time.
the rare ones
Hidden roads 秘径
36 drinks most of China has forgotten. Where to find them, and who still makes them.
Not sure where to start?
Find your drink in 3 taps.
Tell us what you already love. We'll tell you what to try, and where it comes from.
Question 1 of 3
What do you usually drink?
New to Chinese drinks? · Start here
From zero to ganbei
Six short steps that cover all five drinks. About 40 minutes, no experience needed. Every step is illustrated and links to the Encyclopedia.
酒
Step 1 of 6
Meet the five drinks
Wine, baijiu, rice wine, beer and spirits: what each one is, on one page.
field notes
On the road 路上
What you see, smell and taste along the five roads.
昔Then
茅台镇 Maotai, Guizhou
At dawn the whole town smells of steamed sorghum.
绍兴Shaoxing, Zhejiang
Sealed with mud, the wine sleeps for years.
青岛 Qingdao, Shandong
Fresh beer, clams and a hot summer night.
大理Dali, Yunnan
Whisky aging at 2,000 metres, under snowy peaks.
贺兰山 Helan Mountain, Ningxia
Harvest crates waiting at the end of the row.
This month in China 本月
立冬 · 冬酿
Winter brewing begins in Shaoxing
立冬, Start of Winter (around 7 November)
With the start of winter, Shaoxing begins its brewing season. For about 90 days masters rake the fermenting mash several times a day.
The hidden road →Charts worth saving
All charts →
Get one new chart every Friday, plus the free Cheat Sheet.
Mix it 酒谱
Our drinks section: easy cocktails that bring baijiu and other Chinese drinks to your home bar.
All recipes →
