People at Shangshan Brew a Rice-Based Fermented Beverage

Between approximately 8000 and 7000 BCE, people at Shangshan in China’s Lower Yangzi region used pottery vessels to prepare a fermented beverage in which rice was a principal ingredient. Microscopic residues include rice and other plant starches showing gelatinization and enzymatic alteration, together with yeast and Monascus mold particles consistent with a qu-type fermentation starter. The evidence connects early rice exploitation with deliberate fermentation, but it does not establish a modern beer recipe or prove why every vessel was used. The study’s authors cautiously interpret the beverage as part of early experiments in brewing and possible ceremonial feasting.