Abstract:Ever since the alcoholic drinks came into being, they have assumed a significant position in people’s life. They can be seen in sacrificial ceremonies, at wedding banquets and celebrations of all kinds. Alcoholic drinks are more than material existence. They have more to do with culture, which we call drinking culture. However, because of the different geographical locations, cultural origins and even religious beliefs, drinking culture takes on different looks. Under such circumstance, this paper will deal with some common differences in drinking culture between China and UK, for example, the differences in the origins of alcoholic drinks, in the making methods, in the drinking vessels and the like. Through this paper, it is hoped that people can have a thorough and deep understanding of the drinking culture in China and UK so that a harmonious atmosphere in cross-cultural communications can be possibly created. Besides, through this paper, people should also realize that no single culture is superior to another in spite of those differences. As important parts of human culture, they both equally deserve people’s respect.
Key words: drinking culture; cultural differences; China and UK
摘要:酒一经产生便在人们的生活中占有了重要的地位，不管是用作祭祀活动，婚礼宴会，各种庆祝活动，或者日常生活。酒不仅仅是一种物质存在，它更是一种文化，即我们所说的酒文化。然而，由于不同的地理位置,文化起源甚至宗教信仰等因素，酒文化呈现出了众多的差异。基于此，本片论文将会讨论中英两国酒文化方面的一些不同，比如酒的不同的历史起源，不同的制造方法以及中英两国不同的酒器等等。通过本篇论文，我们希望人们能够对中英两国的酒文化有更细致更深入的了解，在中英跨文化交际中创造和谐的氛围。另外，也希望人们能够认识到，虽然有差异的存在，但是没有哪一种文化比另一种文化更优越，它们作为人类文化的重要组成部分，都值得人们的尊重。
关键词：酒文化；文化差异；中国和英国
