The art of drinking

From Bronze Age China to modern South Asia, liquids have played an important role in religious and secular spheres, though the boundaries between them are often fluid. An exhibition in London celebrates the ritual and social uses of liquids including sake (rice wine), toddy, water and tea, the mighty Asian drink that has conquered the world.

The display features vessels for drinking, pouring and performing religious offerings, as well as depictions showing their use in paintings and prints, covering their significance in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as traditional Chinese and Japanese religious practices.

The social side of liquids is revealed in sections on revelry and intoxication. These include stories of consumption of sake in the pleasure districts of Tokyo, alcohol in the Mughal courts of India and drinking games in China. The exhibition also uncovers the spread of tea across Asia, its use in the iconic Japanese tea ceremony and how butter tea is drunk in Tibet.

Date: Until Jan 6

Venue: The British Museum

Website: www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/ritual_and_revelry.aspx

(China Daily 10/12/2012 page31)