In the history of China, the status and role played by wine is extremely important. Many ancients were addicted to alcohol and regarded wine as a confidant, especially the literati, who loved wine and did not understand that wine was looked down upon by the upper class in ancient times. The reason why people's views of wine in ancient times are so different from modern times is that on the one hand, the ancients were very happy with health, on the other hand, the ancient wine degree was really not high, it was difficult to get drunk, and the damage to the body was very small.
Chinese have mastered the technology of winemaking very early, and unlike modern distilled wine, the ancients brewed mostly rice wine and rice wine, with low degree and mild temperament. This kind of wine is probably a little unpleasant in the eyes of people who like to drink spirits, but ancient wine also has its own advantages, that is, the longer it is stored, the more mellow and thick the wine.
In ancient times, there were not a few fine wines that were hidden for decades, but for various reasons, basically no ancient wine was preserved to modern times, which is also a regret in the hearts of many people, after all, who does not want to appreciate a hundred years or even a thousand years of fine wine? However, in the excavations of the temple some time ago, there were major discoveries.
There is a famous Ming Dynasty monument in Nanjing called Cheng'en Temple. This temple was famous during the Ming Dynasty and was built by the great eunuch Wang Jin who donated his mansion. Wang Jin's fame is far from Liu Jin, who is only one word away from himself, but when he was alive, his power was also very large.
Wang Jin was a great eunuch during The reign of Emperor Xuanzong and was deeply trusted by Emperor Xuanzong. After the rebellion of the King of Han, Emperor Xuanzong personally led the army to conquest, and Wang Jin was a subordinate eunuch. In the third year of Xuande, Wuliang Habu attacked, Xuanzong personally led a large army, and Wang Jin followed again. After that, whenever there was a major war, Wang Jin basically participated as a eunuch in charge of the army.
Deeply trusted by the emperor and in charge of supervising the army, there were countless people who wanted to seduce him. Wang Jin's wealth is numerous, and his mansion is even more magnificent and extremely brilliant. However, later Wang Jin donated his mansion to build a temple, and in this way, Wang Jin's former residence became Cheng'en Temple.
According to records, Cheng'en Temple is extremely magnificent, and it was formerly Wang Jin's mansion, so the incense is very strong. However, in 1900, the temple suddenly caught fire, the fire spread rapidly, despite the efforts of monks and civilians to fight the fire, the temple was destroyed by fire, leaving only the main body of the temple and the ruins of the broken wall. Since then, Seong'en Temple has been buried underground.
It wasn't until 2006, during construction at a construction site, that ancient ruins were found underground. When the archaeological team came to investigate, they found that this was the historical Cheng'en Temple monument. The archaeological team then carried out a protective excavation of the monument, and during the excavation process, the team found ten wine altars that were sealed in the ground. After opening the wine altar, the strong aroma of wine immediately drifted on the construction site, attracting many workers.
Stored for hundreds of years, this attracted many people to come and see, and some workers joked that they wanted to taste the ancient wine. However, experts explained that these ancient wines use red yeast, strong anti-corrosion ability, and the wine altar seal is better, so it can be preserved to this day. However, no one can guarantee that the ancient wine has not seeped into the dirt and dirty water for hundreds of years, and once bacteria are breeding, the wine may smell fragrant, but it is fatal to drink. Moreover, the ancient wine that has been preserved for five hundred years is already a cultural relic, and of course it cannot be drunk casually.
Some people wonder why Cheng'en Temple is originally a temple, why is there wine stored underground? Experts explain that there are multiple possibilities for this. Before the construction of Cheng'en Temple, this was Wang Jin's mansion, so these ancient wines may have been buried in Wang Jin's mansion. However, according to historical data, on both sides of Cheng'en Temple, there is a commercial street with many shops, and these wine altars may have been buried by a certain shop, but for some reason, they were forgotten and buried in the ground, until they are now discovered. Although these wines are no longer available for tasting, their long history plays an important role in the study of ancient wines.