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In the late 1970s, a large amount of
ancient bricks and stones dating from
the Eastern Han Dynasty were unearthed
in the suburbs of Chengdu. On the surface
of each stone or brick are figures, animals
or houses from ancient local people’s
daily life, and some patterns in relief
display how people brewed or drank wine
and managed public wine houses.
A love story between Sima Xiangru and
Zhuo Wenjun that occurred in a small town
near Chengdu in the Han dynasty. One day,
a well-learned scholar named Sima Xiangru
who happened to pass by fell in love with
Zhuo Wenjun. However, Zhuo’s parents
did not approve; so the two secretly ran
away. They arrived at the western suburbs
of Chengdu, where they managed a public
wine house as means of livelihood. Sima
Xiangru sold wine, while Zhuo Wenjun cleaned
utensils and cups. Before long, Sima Xiangru
went to Chang’an, the capital of
the Han Empire for an imperial examination.
Finally Sima Xiangru returned and picked
up Zhuo Wenjun. They two went to the capital
because Sima Xiangru had a job there.
The “Han Bricks” and the
story imply the winemaking industry was
well developed in the Han Dynasty.
This
article by Yang Tianqing and Daniel Kister.
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