In July, the Odes of Bin from the Book of Songs, it is written, "In June, we eat amelanchier sinica and yu; in…
In July, the Odes of Bin from the Book of Songs, it is written, "In June, we eat amelanchier sinica and yu; in July, we enjoy amaranth and beans." The word "yu" here refers to grapes, showing that grapes were already part of the ancient Chinese diet. According to The Biography of Dayuan in Records of the Grand Historian, Zhang Qian brought grapevines and winemaking techniques back to China after his mission to the Western Regions. This the formal introduction of grape-based drinks to the Central Plains.