The tradition of sharing meals.

In ancient times, the system of separate meals was practiced for thousands of years. Why did it change to a joint meal system in the Ming and Qing Dynasties?

During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao called ministers to discuss state affairs, and often got together to eat and enjoy songs and dances. Like the catering system, the catering system has a long history. Many orientals think that tradition is the system of sharing meals, and the whole family can only be happy if they sit together and eat noisily.

It is recorded in the book that in the Zhou Dynasty, a separate meal system was implemented. In ancient times, when holding a banquet, the host would put the same dishes and delicious food on each table, and people would enjoy it on their own tables, which is very similar to the western dining system now.

During the Han, Wei, Jin dynasties, people still took separate meals as the main system. The famous Hongmen banquet in history is a separate catering system. Just like the teahouse now, there is also a venue in the middle to enjoy singing and dancing, which can accommodate several people to dance and sword at the same time.

In the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the royal family began to use the dining system. Hu bed was introduced into China in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, but it was not a real bed, but a chair, so it gradually replaced the seat and provided conditions for the dining system.

In the long history of China, with the continuous integration of various ethnic groups, the practice of joint meal system of grassland ethnic groups has promoted the transformation from separate meal system to joint meal system to some extent. In the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongolians who used to eat * * * brought the meal-sharing system to China. Even the aristocratic banquet is no longer a separate meal system, but a Mongolian meal system. Everyone gets together to drink and eat meat.

In the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, a low-ranking figure, climbed to the position of emperor and naturally preferred the dining system of civilians. Under the leadership of the emperor, the catering system was severely hit, and it replaced the catering system.

Ordinary people also have their own economic level and can buy all kinds of dishes, which further promotes the system of joint dining. In China, the large-scale banquet is still a joint dining system, and the role of public chopsticks often appears. In short, this is the integration of separate meal system and joint meal system.