1. Introduction to Dukang: The Mythical Founder of Chinese Winemaking
1.1 Aliases and Nicknames
Dukang, also known as Shaokang, is revered as the “Ancestor of Wine” and the “God of Wine” in folk culture. Due to his invention of sorghum wine, he’s honored as the “Founder of Winemaking.” In later literary works, he’s also called “Master Dukang” and the “Marquis of Drunkenness.”
1.2 Physical Features
Legend depicts Dukang as a gentle – faced man with star – bright eyes. The aroma of fermenting grains often lingers around his temples, and the pattern of grain ears can be faintly seen on his clothes. He’s commonly shown holding a wine goblet, with wine jars and fermenting grains beside him, and a jade plate engraved with winemaking runes at his waist, embodying both elegance and wisdom.
1.3 Skills and Abilities
As the pioneer of Chinese wine culture, Dukang mastered the “Five Qi and Six Methods” of winemaking. He could distinguish the characteristics of different grains, control the fermentation timing, and adjust the flavor of wine. His invented “Sorghum Wine Brewing Method” included processes such as soaking grains, steaming, saccharification, fermentation, and distillation. He could also adjust the formula according to seasonal changes to brew “sweet spring wine and clear autumn wine.”
2. The Origin of Dukang: A Prince’s Winemaking Comeback
Dukang lived in the Xia Dynasty about 4,000 years ago, the son of King Xiang of Xia. According to Records of the Grand Historian: Basic Annals of Xia, when he was a child, there was a rebellion by Han Zhuo. His mother, Hou Min, escaped with him through a wall hole and raised him in the Youreng Tribe (now in Jining, Shandong). As a teenager, Dukang often helped manage the tribe’s grain. Once, a heavy rain destroyed the granary, and the moistened leftover rice fermented naturally in a tree hole, emitting an alluring aroma that attracted him. Through repeated trials, he found that mixing cooked sorghum with moldy grains and sealing them in a pottery jar at a suitable temperature could produce a fragrant liquid. This accidental discovery made him the first recorded winemaker in Chinese history.
3. Classic Legends and Stories: Millennium – Old Tales in Wine Aroma
3.1 The Discovery in the Tree Hole
The most famous story happened when Dukang was 19. He put moistened sorghum rice into a hollow mulberry tree hole and sealed it with leaves. Three days later, passing by, he smelled a strong aroma, and there was an amber – colored liquid at the bottom of the hole. He tasted it carefully and felt a rush of warmth and a burst of flavor in his mouth. After that, he improved the process, using ceramic wine containers instead of tree holes and adding spices like orange peel and Chinese prickly ash to make the wine more mellow. This was the earliest “sorghum wine.”
3.2 Liu Ling’s Three – Year Drunken Sleep
In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the legend of “Dukang makes wine, Liu Ling gets drunk” spread. Liu Ling, a famous wine lover, traveled far to Dukang’s winery and drank three bowls of wine, then fell into a deep sleep for three years. When his family was about to bury him, he suddenly woke up and praised, “This wine should only exist in heaven.” This story became a symbol of Dukang wine’s magical power and is still told today.
3.3 Emperor Xian’s Title of “Saint of Wine”
During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, when Emperor Xian was fleeing, he encountered Dukang’s descendants offering their family – brewed wine. After drinking, he felt energized and said, “This wine relieves fatigue and sorrow, just like a virtuous minister.” He then named Dukang the “Saint of Wine” and ordered an annual sacrifice to the God of Wine. From then on, Dukang’s divine status was officially established.
4. Relationships: The Cultural Network of Wine
Family Ties: His father was King Xiang of Xia, his mother was Hou Min of the Youreng Tribe, his wife was Sang Niang, the daughter of a tribal chief (who was said to have helped him discover the fermentation principle in the mulberry tree hole), and his son Heita inherited the winemaking skills and invented vinegar.
Cultural Connections: He forms a “triangle of wine culture” with Liu Ling, the Wine Immortal, and Li Bai, the Poetry Immortal. Li Bai’s boldness in “Raising a cup to invite the bright moon, my shadow becomes three” and Liu Ling’s unrestraint in Ode to the Virtue of Wine both take Dukang wine as their spiritual carrier. He is also called one of the “Three Gods of People’s Livelihood” together with Hou Ji, the God of Agriculture, and Ning Fengzi, the God of Pottery, representing the achievements in grain cultivation, pottery making, and winemaking.
5. Related Traditional Literature and Myths
5.1 Historical Records
In Shuowen Jiezi by Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty: “Dukang first made sorghum wine, also known as Shaokang, the king of the Xia Dynasty.”
In Jiu Gao of the Zhou Dynasty: “Heaven has bestowed life on our people, starting from the first sacrifice. Heaven sends down awe, and our people fall into great chaos and lose virtue, all because of wine.” This indirectly confirms Dukang’s historical status in winemaking.
Cao Cao’s Short Song Ballad “How to relieve sorrow? Only Dukang” made Dukang a cultural symbol of “relieving worries.”
5.2 Mythical Derivatives
In mystery novels like Sou Shen Ji, Dukang is said to be the incarnation of the Wine Star. It’s said that he could communicate with heaven and earth, observing the stars and earth’s energy when making wine. When opening a wine jar, the aroma would reach the heaven, attracting the Eight Immortals to descend. These myths enrich his legendary color.
6. Folk Festivals and Customs: Sacrifices and Celebrations in Wine Aroma
6.1 Sacrifice to the God of Wine
On the 18th day of the eighth lunar month (the legendary day when Dukang invented wine), wineries across the country hold the “Dukang Sacrifice” ceremony. They place three kinds of livestock (pig, ox, sheep), offer new wine, and burn the “Winemaking Scripture Picture” painted with winemaking processes. The chief sacrificer recites the Ode to the Ancestor of Wine: “Sorghum is the bone, yeast is the soul. Pottery jars contain the sun and moon, and in drunkenness, one understands the universe.”
6.2 Drinking Customs
“Drinking Dukang wine while climbing high on Chongyang Festival”: The ancients believed that Dukang wine could “ward off evil spirits and boost the spirit.” When climbing high on Chongyang Festival, they would definitely drink it. Wang Wei’s “I know from afar that my brothers are climbing high, wearing dogwood but missing me” mentions the dogwood wine, which is derived from Dukang’s medicinal wine formula.
“Tusu wine tradition during Spring Festival”: Tusu wine is based on Dukang wine, with eight kinds of medicinal herbs added. On the first day of the first lunar month, the whole family drinks it in order of age. Lu You’s “I haven’t raised half a cup of Tusu wine yet, writing peach talismans in small characters by the lamp” depicts this scene.
6.3 Industrial Worship
Winemakers’ guilds enshrine Dukang’s statue. Apprentices need to perform the “Ancestor of Wine Worship Ceremony” when starting their apprenticeship, vowing “not to cut corners and not to blaspheme the God of Wine.” When a wine shop opens, it must hang a “Dukang Heritage” lantern on the lintel, meaning to inherit the orthodox winemaking skills.
7. Historical Contributions: The Code of Civilization in Wine
7.1 Technological Innovation
Dukang’s invented complex fermentation method (simultaneous saccharification and alcohol fermentation) was 1,500 years earlier than in Europe. His improved ceramic wine containers promoted the development of winemaking from family workshops to large – scale production. He also created “jiuqu,” a key saccharifying agent, laying the foundation for the development of rice wine and Baijiu later.
7.2 Cultural Construction
Wine became an important carrier for sacrifices, banquets, and poetry. The taotie patterns on bronze wine vessels in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the formation of “wine etiquette” in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, and even the warning of “wine pools and meat forests” in the Han Dynasty all have their roots in Dukang’s wine culture. The concept he represents of “drinking moderately and using wine to form etiquette” still influences the Chinese social philosophy.
8. Business and Cultural Spirit: Wisdom in a Wine Cup
8.1 Business Connotations
“Wine quality reflects human quality”: Dukang’s winemaking emphasized the “Three Necessities” – fine grains, sweet water, and clean utensils, which became a model of commercial integrity in ancient times. Modern wineries often use “Dukang’s Admonition” as a quality commitment.
“Using wine as a bridge”: The etiquette of “three rounds of wine” at banquets originates from the banquet traditions of Dukang’s era, reflecting the business philosophy of “etiquette first, business later, and harmony is precious.”
8.2 Spiritual Symbolism
Dukang wine represents the life wisdom of “good comes after bad” – its invention originated from difficulties in war, but beautiful things were created in adversity. It also symbolizes “sharing and connection.” From tribal communal drinking to commercial cooperation, wine has always been a medium to bring people closer.
8.3 Cross – Cultural Significance
When the story of Dukang spreads overseas, his spirit of “innovation in adversity” and “harmony with nature” complements the “carnivalesque destruction” of the Western god Dionysus, becoming a unique carrier for cultural dialogue between China and the West.
Last Updated on 5 days