Mijiu

Mijiu (), also spelled michiu, is a Chinese rice wine made from glutinous rice, with the alcohol content ranging between 15% and 20% v/v. It is generally clear in appearance with a balanced taste of sweetness and acidity, similar to its Japanese counterpart sake and Korean counterpart cheongju, and is usually drunk warm like sake and cheongju. A particularly popular category of mijiu is huangjiu or 'yellow wine'. An unfiltered form of mijiu containing whole rice grains is called jiǔniàng () or láozāo (), with extremely low alcoholic content and often consumed by children. A type of baijiu (Chinese liquor) called rice baijiu () is made via further distillation from mijiu.

Beverages similar to mijiu are noted on oracle inscriptions from the late Shang dynasty circa 1200–1046 B.C.E., and archaeological evidence confirms that the production of alcoholic beverages containing rice as part of a mix of fermentables (often including honey and/or fruit) dates back to over 8000 years ago. Rice wine production then spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and other East Asian countries around the Sinosphere during the height of the Han and Tang dynasties. It played an important cultural role in historical Chinese life, with prominent poets such as Li Bai being some of the most famous drinkers. Although largely overtaken by the much stronger baijiu since the Mongol Yuan dynasty, mijiu is still a traditional beverage in parts of southern China and some of the families still follow the custom of homebrewing rice wine. It is sometimes served as an aperitif believed to be beneficial in improving metabolism and skin and is also frequently mixed with herbs and made into medicinal wines such as snake wine and dit da jow.