Rice wine is as strong as alcohol, but it's got a mild, sweet taste. It is now becoming an ideal drink among friends.[Photo by Li Yingxue/China Daily]

It's been around for thousands of years apparently, but hasn't been taken that seriously because it is produced on such a small scale. That is now changing, so let's toast Chinese rice wine

Every night before going to bed Lu Yu takes a sip from a glass at her bedside. It's a habit she got into seven years ago in her first year at university, when she felt she needed a bit of alcohol-induced drowsiness to send her to sleep.

In those days, almost without exception, her drink of choice was red wine, but that has changed, the color red giving way to a clear white.

"Rice wine is as strong as alcohol, but it's got a mild, sweet taste," the photographer, 25, says.