The deep relationship between calligraphy and music has much to do with alcoholic beverage culture. In the ancient times, “music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poemwriting, alcoholic beverage and blossom appreciating” were usually mentioned in a parallel way, especially calligraphy, poem writing and painting, which were all regarded as scholastic means to transmit emotion. Ancient scholars tended to do handwriting after drinking alcoholic beverage, thus closely associating beverage with calligraphy. A brief review of Chinese history of music shows that music was originally associated with beverage. In the PreQin days, the three forms of art, poetry, music and dance, were taken as an integrated whole, in which beverage was much involved to motivate artistic creation. In fact, however, Chinese alcoholic beverage culture differs in essence from western counterpart. Chinese alcoholic beverage culture represents a distinctive selfidentity of the Chinese themselves and shows the common spirit and cultural impetus of the Chinese nation.

alcoholic beverage culture; Sinology; calligraphy; music