Bronze Age pottery found in northwest China has revealed the secret to making the red rice wine that was ceremonially consumed in the region in the second millennium BC.
Previous research has indicated that the Mogou people of ancient China used a range of plant resources in their diets and even alcoholic beverages made using an ancient fermentation method called that.
This method used a starter culture consisting of a brick of microbes that grew on grains, including Aspergillus mold, yeast and bacteria. What is it they originated in eastern Neolithic China and spread to the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau by the Bronze Age.
It was known that Mogou ceremonially consumed rice wine made in this way, but it was rarely found.
“Recent research has highlighted the widespread presence and use of fermented cereal-based beverages in Neolithic China. However studies focusing on early Bronze Age cultures remain limited,” according to a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports.
Assemblages of pottery vessels from the tomb of the Qijia culture period M499; Qijia to Siwa transition grave M457; Qijia to Siwa burial transition M368; and Siwa culture period tomb M576 (Journal of Archaeological Science Reports 2025)
Researchers have found pottery that shows evidence of alcohol being fermented with use that method and ritual consumption at a Mogou burial site in China’s Gansu province sometime between 1700 and 1100BC.
The burials were spread over two ancient cultural periods, the Qijia from 2300 to 1500BC and the Siwa from 1400 to 1100BC. Some of these burials had side chambers located at different depths in the walls and containing ceramic objects above the deceased’s head.
Pottery vessels found in side rooms offered archaeologists a rare opportunity to determine whether the Mogou consumed fermented beverages and what brewing methods they likely used.
The researchers analyzed remains of remains in about 42 pottery vessels covering different periods at the Mogou site.
They identified the use of several plants in these residues, such as rice, millet, Job’s tears, buckwheat, and plants belonging to the Triticeae family, including barley and wheat.
The study confirmed previous research findings that the Mogou people consumed a diverse range of plant foods during the second millennium BC.
The starch residues from the containers also showed signs of enzyme action, which confirms fermentation, probably part of the that alcohol brewing method.
“The Mogou people used to make alcoholic drinks using the that method, he prepares the fermentation starter mainly with rice and A monk mold,” the researchers wrote.
“This wh-based drink, made from a variety of cereals, played a significant role in their mortuary practices.”