Why Chinese bridal wine is a wedding staple, its origins and why it was buried for 18 years

A Chinese wedding has many of the trappings of a Western marriage, as well as rituals, traditions and etiquette that must be observed. In our series on Chinese weddings, we break it down and tell you how to get it right.

Nu’er hong is a Chinese rice wine that originates from Shaoxing, eastern China. This is the type huangjiu – “yellow wine” brewed by mixing steamed grains with a traditional fermentation starter called jiuqu.

Dating back to the Xia Dynasty (2070–1600 BC), huangjiu it is the oldest alcoholic beverage in the Han culture.

Despite its name, huangjiu – which has a typical strength of 16 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) – can be clear to brown in color; nu’er hong often amber.

Nu’er hong has long been very important in Chinese culture.