Baijiu#
白酒 — "white spirit" — is distilled from sorghum and other grains, bottled at 40–60% ABV, and consumed in greater volume than any other spirit category in the world. It is also the drink most likely to defeat a visitor.
The flavour is not like Western spirits. It is intensely aromatic, often described as funky, fermented, or reminiscent of overripe fruit, soy sauce and blue cheese. Reactions among first-time drinkers range from fascination to genuine horror.
The main aroma categories:
- Sauce aroma (酱香) — the most complex and expensive. Moutai is the emblem, made in Guizhou, and a bottle of the standard expression retails for well over ¥1,000
- Strong aroma (浓香) — the largest category. Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao. Fruity and pungent
- Light aroma (清香) — cleaner and drier. Fenjiu from Shanxi. The most approachable starting point
- Rice aroma (米香) — southern, lighter
Drinking it: served neat in small glasses at room temperature, in rounds, with food. It is not sipped through a meal like wine.
Banquet toasting#
If you are invited to a Chinese business or formal dinner, toasting is the structure of the evening.
- 干杯 (gānbēi) means "dry the glass" and traditionally means finishing it. 随意 (suíyì) means "as you please" and gives permission to sip
- The host toasts first, then others in rough order of seniority
- Hold your glass lower than a senior person's when clinking — a small deference that is noticed
- You will be toasted individually, repeatedly. The volume adds up faster than you expect
- Declining: state clearly at the start that you are not drinking, for medical reasons or because you are driving. Toasting with tea or soft drink is accepted, and refusing early is far easier than stopping midway
- Eat before and during. Never toast on an empty stomach
Beer#
China is the world's largest beer market by volume. The mainstream lagers — Snow (雪花), Tsingtao (青岛), Harbin, Yanjing — are light, low in alcohol (often 2.5–4%) and designed to be drunk in quantity with food. They cost ¥5–15 in a shop and ¥8–20 in a restaurant.
Note: beer is frequently served at room temperature. Ask for 冰的 (bīng de, "cold") if you want it chilled.
Craft beer has grown substantially since around 2012. Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an and Nanjing all have real scenes — Jing-A and Great Leap in Beijing, Boxing Cat and Liquid Laundry in Shanghai, Master Gao in Nanjing. Expect ¥45–75 a pint, which is expensive by Chinese standards.
Qingdao is the beer city, thanks to the German brewery founded in 1903. The local habit of buying draught beer in a plastic bag with a straw is entirely real. See our Qingdao guide.
Wine and other alcohol#
Chinese wine is a real and rapidly improving industry, centred on Ningxia at the edge of the Gobi, plus Shandong and Xinjiang. Ningxia cabernet and its blends now win international awards, and the good bottles are genuinely good. Imported wine carries heavy duty and is expensive.
Huangjiu (黄酒) — "yellow wine", a fermented rice wine, most famously Shaoxing, aged and served warm. Around 15–20% ABV, nutty and savoury. Widely used in cooking, and underrated as a drink.
Rice wine and minority spirits — Yunnan, Guizhou and Tibetan areas all have local distillations and fermentations, usually served enthusiastically to guests.
Tea and non-alcoholic drinks#
Tea is the default. Restaurant tea is often free, hot water is free everywhere, and carrying an insulated flask is what Chinese travellers do. See our tea culture guide.
The milk tea boom. Bubble tea shops — HeyTea, Nayuki, Mixue, ChaGee — are on every commercial street, often several of the same brand within 200 m. Order in the app or point at the picture; you can usually specify sugar level (无糖 no sugar, 三分糖 30%, 半糖 half) and ice level.
Other non-alcoholic options worth knowing:
- 酸梅汤 sour plum juice — smoked plum, hawthorn, liquorice; sour, cold, and the traditional antidote to a spicy meal. Excellent
- 豆浆 soy milk — hot, lightly sweetened or savoury, the breakfast drink
- 凉茶 herbal "cooling tea" — Cantonese medicinal infusions, bitter, sold from shopfronts in Guangdong. Wanglaoji is the sweet bottled version
- Yakult-style yoghurt drinks — everywhere, and genuinely helpful after very spicy food
- 椰汁 coconut milk and sugarcane juice in the south
- Bottled tea — Oriental Leaf (东方树叶) is the unsweetened one, and the only one most visitors like
Practical notes#
- Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in mainland China. Bottled water is ¥2–4; hot water is free from dispensers in every hotel, station and train
- Cold drinks are less standard than in the West. Many people drink water hot year-round, and asking for ice may draw a blank
- Drinking age is 18 and enforcement is light
- Public drinking is legal and unremarkable
- Drink-driving penalties are severe — China has a very low blood-alcohol limit and enforces it with roadside checks
- Bars cluster in known districts: Sanlitun in Beijing, the Bund and Found 158 in Shanghai, Jiuyan Bridge in Chengdu
Frequently asked questions#
What is baijiu?#
China's national spirit, distilled from sorghum and other grains at 40–60% ABV. Its aroma is intense and unlike Western spirits — often described as fermented, funky and savoury. It is served neat in small glasses at room temperature and drunk in toasted rounds with food.
How do you toast in China?#
Say 干杯 (gānbēi, "dry the glass"), which traditionally means finishing it, or 随意 (suíyì, "as you please") to sip instead. The host toasts first, and when clinking with someone senior you hold your glass slightly lower than theirs as a mark of respect.
Can I refuse alcohol in China?#
Yes, if you decline clearly at the start of the meal. Medical reasons and driving are both fully accepted, and toasting with tea or a soft drink is normal. What is awkward is accepting several rounds and then stopping.
Is Chinese wine any good?#
Increasingly, yes. Ningxia, at the edge of the Gobi Desert, produces cabernet-based wines that win international awards, and Shandong and Xinjiang also produce seriously. Imported wine is heavily taxed and expensive by comparison.
What non-alcoholic drinks should I try in China?#
Sour plum juice (suanmeitang) with a spicy meal, hot soy milk at breakfast, Cantonese herbal cooling teas in Guangdong, and any of the fresh milk tea chains. Oriental Leaf is the unsweetened bottled tea most Western visitors prefer.
Is beer served cold in China?#
Often not — room temperature is common in restaurants. Ask for 冰的 (bīng de, "cold") if you want it chilled. Mainstream Chinese lagers are also lower in alcohol than Western equivalents, often between 2.5% and 4%.