A Chinese traditional "wine ceremony" was held on Sunday at Southwest University of southwestern China's Chongqing municipality to remind people of the country's traditional culture at the time of Christmas.

Students wearing Han-style clothes held a traditional Chinese "wine ceremony" at Southwest University in Chongqing on Sunday, December 23, 2007.

Wearing Han-style clothes, more than 20 students, respectively playing the "hosts" and "guests", revived the wine ceremony in front of the Confucius sculpture in the university, local Chongqing Evening News reported.

Taking two bows to "hosts" with cups held to their waists, the "guests" drank rice wine slowly after "hosts" requited with hands folded together in front. The wine in the cup shouldn't be drunk up at once so as to show respect to the "hosts". The whole ceremony lasted nearly two hours with twelve steps including welcoming guests, washing cups, obeisance etiquettes, drinking wine and reciting classic poems.

According to the principal student, "wine ceremony" was an academic ceremony in ancient China. Local sages are invited to the grand ceremony in midwinter every year. The ceremony showed respect to knowledge and people with talents. The students hoped to promote traditional Chinese culture and recall respect for classical culture by this activity.

As the ceremony has almost been lost since the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), the students held the ceremony according to ancient books from library. The Han-style clothes they wore were also self-designed referring to historical information.

(CRI December 25, 2007)