Circle drinking means that a number of people sit together, forming a circle and then drinking together. They share one pot or one bowl of wine, which is passed from one person to another in a certain sequence. This drinking custom is popular in Yunnan, Sichuan and other areas. It’s quite common in southwestern China with ethnic minority populations.

When drinking, three or five people sit together, forming a circle. A wine pot and an earthen bowl of wine are placed in the middle of the circle. Then, the pot or the bowl is passed on from person to person in a certain order. Each drinker takes a sip and tells a joke in turn. The circle drinking will not stop till the pot is empty. All people end up leaving the scene in happy laughter.

The custom of circle drinking is especially popular with the Yi, Lisu, Miao, Nu ethnic minority groups. Circle drinking is a way of showing the hospitality, unsophisticated, broad-minded and straightforward characters of the ethnic minority people. At the same time, it serves as a communication bridge that embodies a heart-to-heart interaction hard to be expressed by words.