Kaleidoscope

Toasts by the Zhuang Minority

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The "union of wine cups" toasted by the Zhuang people actually use not cups but white porcelain soup spoons to get wine from a bowl and drink with their arms crossed. Here the host may even sing a toasting song: "Please kindly receive a cup of wine from the tin kettle, as I am toasting you, my distinguished guest, with a heart as sincere as to the god."

The Chinese Way of Urging People to Drink

The hospitality of the Chinese can be thoroughly seen at banquets. More often than not, communication between people is sublimed during the process of toasting. When a Chinese makes a toast to someone, he often hopes the person to drink more so that his hospitality is delivered. The more the guest drinks, the happier the host will be; if the guest declines to drink, the host may feel loss of face. Therefore, in order to urge guests to drink, multiple means are adopted in China.

Details

"Civil Toasts"

"Civil Toasts"

As an embodiment of traditional drinking manner, it refers to asking guests to drink in good manners. Usually when a banquet begins, the host may start the first round of toasting after brief...
"Return Toasts"

"Return Toasts"

The guests may return a toast to the host to express their thanks.
"Mutual Toasts"

"Mutual Toasts"

It refers to toasts between guests for the purpose of urging each other to drink more. Here the toaster may find every possible reason to make the other side drink, if the one being toasted cannot...
"Substitutive Toasts"

"Substitutive Toasts"

It's a way to dodge drinking with decency while pleasing both the host and other guests. If a person is a non-drinker or has already drunk excessively, but he cannot avoid another drink toasted by...
"Toasts for Punishment"

"Toasts for Punishment"

It's a unique way of toasting practiced by the Chinese. Toasts for punishment can be made for numerous reasons, while the most common one may be the "three cups of wine" for punishing the...
Tibetan Toasts

Tibetan Toasts

Well-known for their hospitality, the Tibetans often treat their guests with highland barley wine. First they fill up the wine cups and hold to their guests, when the guests shall take the cup with...
Toasts by the Yugur Minority

Toasts by the Yugur Minority

It's a tradition for the Yugur minority in northwest China to toast their guests with double cups for each. Regardless of how many guests there are, only two wine cups are used for all hosts...