What is a good alternative to using rice wine when cooking chinese food?

I always wondered what the purpose of adding rice wine is to a chinese recipe. what difference does it make by leaving it out. and what non alcoholic alternatives are there?What is a good alternative to using rice wine when cooking chinese food?
It's an acid, so it adds acidity to a dish. I never buy rice wine, but found that rice vinegar is great because it's a very mellow vinegar. Just use a little less than your recipe calls for.What is a good alternative to using rice wine when cooking chinese food?
I am a former chef and worked in Asia and use many different ones, but you can get away in most recipes without it, an alternative if you do is a mix of white wine and sweet sherry or either one alone, sake is o.k but is higher in alcohol than normal chinese cooking wines, I buy a shaixcin type which is darker and more flavourful than the clear type, but if you do not want to add it even a bit of rice vinegar is fine.What is a good alternative to using rice wine when cooking chinese food?
Rice wine adds a subtle flavor. Just like adding wine to any food like red wine to stews. It's there, you notice it. You can leave it out of course. A substitute is dry sherry. I often buy just a cheap sherry and use that for cooking.
dry sherry is fine ,

just the cooking proccess will evaporate the alcohol