When did the symbolic etiquette "kneel down" in ancient China begin?

Kneeling began before the Han Dynasty.

Before the Han Dynasty, there were no formal benches and chairs in China. When people eat, discuss and read books, they just spread a mat made of reeds and bamboo strips on the ground, that is, people sit on the mat, so it is called sitting on the floor.

If the guest is invited to sit in the main seat, add an extra cushion to show respect. Even the supreme ruler of the imperial court sits on the floor, but what he sits on is better than ordinary people.

For example, every time the Zhou Dynasty held a grand pilgrimage, the seat where the king sat was equipped with a screen embroidered with a black and white axe. In front of the screen, there is a straw mat, with colorful pu mats and peach branches and bamboo mats, and jade is placed on the left and right for the king to lean on.

So the so-called sitting posture in ancient times is completely different from our modern "sitting". When sitting, you should land on your knees, then sit on your heels with your feet facing back.

The ancient people's sitting is actually our present kneeling. When receiving guests, whenever you sit and thank them, in order to show your respect, you often straighten your upper body, that is, pull yourself up, so that sitting becomes kneeling, and then leaning down, which gradually forms a bow-down ceremony in daily life.

Extended data:

19 12 On New Year's Day, the Provisional Government of the Republic of China was established in Nanjing. The interim government issued an announcement to reform old customs and protect civil rights, one of which was to abolish bowing.

The Nanjing Provisional Government clearly stipulated that the system of prostration should be abolished from the first year of the Republic of China. At that time, it was very skillful in the detailed operation of abolishing the bow-down system. Only between officials, officials and the public are not allowed to bow their heads, and private occasions are not allowed to interfere with the public.

Soon, the Beijing government of the Republic of China announced that the general etiquette of the Republic of China was that men took off their hats, bowed as a gift, bowed as a routine ceremony, and only took off their hats. Women's gifts are roughly the same, but they don't take off their hats and bow and scrape.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Bowing Ceremony