ESTONIAN ACADEMY
PUBLISHERS
eesti teaduste
akadeemia kirjastus
PUBLISHED
SINCE 1997
 
TRAMES cover
TRAMES. A Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences
ISSN 1736-7514 (Electronic)
ISSN 1406-0922 (Print)
Impact Factor (2022): 0.2
FOOD CULTURE IN CHINA: FROM SOCIAL POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES; pp. 345–364
PDF | https://doi.org/10.3176/tr.2018.4.02

Authors
Robert Guang Tian, Kathy Tian, Zhao Dandan, Camilla H. Wang
Abstract

Based on anthropological theory on food, this research gives a brief discussion on the development direction of food civilization, analyzes the facts that people’s diet activities and eating behaviors, in the ancient Chinese society centering on the state political power, were controlled or influenced by the political ideology. It also probes the relationship between food culture and social-political traditions. Taking ‘tables’ and ‘banquets’ as the subjects, the paper introduces haute cuisine, everyday food and national dishes from the social stratification of diet. It proposes that the development of Chinese food has been influenced by the ritualized privilege system, noble traditions and applica­tion of ancient science and technology invention of cooking. It responds to Gernet’s idea of poverty stress and Kwang-Chih Chang’s idea of ethos. Through the power symbols of Chinese banquet culture, a banquet level analysis model is presented to pave a path for further empirical study.

References

Baker, Phillip and Sharon Friel (2016) “Food systems transformations, ultra-processed food markets and the nutrition transition in Asia”. Globalization and Health 12, 1, 27–30.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-016-0223-3

Chang, Kwang-chih (2003) Food in Chinese culture: the perspective of anthropology and history. Hangzhou: Zhejiang People’s Publishing House.

Chen, Gang and Jin Wang (2017) “Cultural change of food in anthropological perspective”. National Journal 2, 34–41.

Davis, Adler (2001) Nutrition and health care. Translated by Minghua Wang. Beijing: Central Compilation & Translation Press.

Du, Li and Sun, Junxiu (2006) Western food culture. Beijing: China Light Industry Press.

Feng, Zhuti (2009) Gluttonous desire: the food and color of contemporary China. Nanjing: Jiangsu People’s Publishing House.

Firth, R. (1991) Types of humanity. Translated by Xiaotong Fei. Beijing: The Commercial Press.

Frederick, Simoons (2003) Food in China: a cultural and historical inquiry. Translated by Guo, Yuhua. Nanjing: Jiangxu People’s Publishing House.

Fuhrman, Joel (2011) Super immunity: the essential nutrition guide for boosting your body’s defenses to live longer, stronger and disease. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Gates, Donna and Linda Schatz (2011) The body ecology diet: recovering your health and rebuilding your immunity. Revised edition. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.

Gernet, Jacques (1962) Daily life in China on the eve of the Mongol invasion 1250-76. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Gertz, Clifford (1999) The interpretation of cultures. Beijing: Yilin Press.

Goffman, Erving (1974) Frame analyses: an essay on the organization of experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Goody, Jack (2010) Cooking, cuisine and class. Translated by Rongxin Wang and Nanshan Shen. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press.

Goody, Jack (2012) Contemporary foreign humanistic academic translation: east in the west. Translated by Yi Shen. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press.

Gu, Jiegang (1978) Necromansers and Confucian scholars of the Qin and Han Dynasties. Shanghai: Shanghai Guji Publishing House.

Huang, Xiuming (2001) “Food culture and ancient society and politics of China”. Journal of Southwest University for Nationalities (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 13, 22, 128–135.

Kottak, Conrad (2012) Anthropology: exploration of human diversity. Translated by Jianbo Huang, Jingwen Fang, etc. Beijing: China Renmin University Press.

Leach, Edmund (1991) Culture and communication. Translated by Deping Lu. Beijing: Huaxia Publishing House.

Li, Dekuan and Guang Tian (2014) Anthropology of food culture. Yinchuan, Ningxia: Ningxia Peoples’ Publishing House.

Li, Hu (1997) Chinese history of food culture in periods of Han and Tang Dynasty. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Press.

Lin, Nai (1997) Food culture of ancient China. Beijing: The Commercial Press.

Lin, Shaoxiong (1996) “Food culture and aesthetics of China”. Study of Literature and Art 1, 40–50.

Park, K. (2017) “Ethnic foodscapes: foreign cuisines in the United States”. Food, Culture & Society 20, 3, 365–393.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2017.1337390

Qu, Tongzu (1981) Chinese law and Chinese society. Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company.

Schlosser, Eric (2002) Fast food nation—developing history, inside story and the road to riches. Translated by He, Yun and Dai, Yan. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press.

Sun, Yaojun (2015) “Connotation and extension of food culture”. Journal of Nanning Polytechnic 1, 20–23.

Tian, Guang and Daming Zhou (2012) Business anthropology. Ningxia: Ningxia People’s Publishing House.

Tian, Guang and Daming Zhou (2013) General theory of business anthropology. Beijing: China Finance and Economics Press.

Tian, Guang and Kanglong Luo (2013) Economic anthropology. Ningxia: Ningxia People’s Publishing House.

Tylor, Edward (2004) Anthropology: study on human and culture. Translated by Lian, Shusheng. Guilin: Guangxi Normal University Press.

Walman, Arturo (2005) Corn and capitalism: the story of a plant hybrid that has achieved global hegemony. Translated by Gu, Xiaojing. Shanghia: East China Normal University Press.

Wang, Tianjin and Guang Tian (2012) Environmental anthropology. Ningxia: Ningxia People’s Publishing House.

Wilson, Bill (2010) Delicious fraud: food counterfeiting and its history. Translated by Zhou, Jiluan. Beijing: Sanlian Bookstore.

Wiltie, Anthony (2008) Coffee: black history. Translated by Zhao, Yifeng. Changchun: Northeast Normal University Press.

Wolff, Eric (2006) Europe and the people without history. Translated by Bingxiang Zhao. Shanghai: Shanghai People’s Publishing House.

Yang, Junhu. (2014) “Study on the differences between Chinese and western food cultures and the reasons”. Science & Technology Vision 29, 218–309.

Yang, Mingduo (2012) “Reflection on the inheritance and development of China’s Food culture”. Commercial Times 9, 143–145.

Yang, Mingduo (2013) “Study on the development trend of China’s catering industry targeting modernization”. Commercial Times 3, 4–5.

Yin, Li and Xiaolin Han (2007) English and Chinese idioms and folk-custom and culture. Beijing: Peking University Press.

Zhang, Qingqing (2017) “Vegetarian view on modern food culture”. Food Safety Guide 6, 57–59.

Zhao, Rongguang (2000) “The tradition and innovation of Chinese food culture: understanding based on 20 years of research on Chinese food culture”. Journal of Naning College for Vocational Technology (Philosophy and Social Sciences) 5, 1, 51–56.

Zhao, Rongguang and Dingyuan Xie (2006) Introduction to food culture. Beijing: China Light Industry Press.

Zhou, Mingyang (2004) Food aesthetics. Beijing: Hunan Science and Technology Press.

Zhou, Quanxia (2007) “On the characteristics and functions of Chinese food culture”. The Science Education Article Collects 3, 156–160.

Zhuang, Zuyi (2010) The anthropologist in the kitchen. Beijing: Culture and Art Publishing House.

Back to Issue