Study On Comparing The Dietetic Culture Of Tang Dynasty With It Of Song Dynasty

Chinese society had undergone tremendous changes during Tang and Song dynasties. Neiteng Hunan (内腾湖南) , a Japanese scholar, had firstly noticed the enormous differences between the society of Tang Dynasty and it of Song Dynasty. He originated the theory of Tang and Song Dynasties Renovation (唐宋变革) in the early 20th century. This theory argued that Tang Dynasty was the end of mediaeval times and that Song Dynasty was the begining of modern times. It had a tremendous impact upon the international Sinology after it presented itself. It became the fountainhead of the view of social change of the Tang and Song dynasties. Mr. Fu Lecheng, a Taiwan scholar, also detailed the view of "Tang Type Culture" (唐型文化) and "Song Type Culture" (宋型文化) in 1970s. In recent years, it has become a hot issue of Chinese history study to discuss on the social changes during Tang and Song dynasties. For the occasion of the social tremendous changes during Tang and Song dynasties, the academia offered many valuable viewpoints to mainly explore the new changes from political, economic, military and other fields. Mainly studing on the Central Plains Region, this paper systemically compares the food, beverages, dietetic market, dietetic habits and custom, dietetic culture exchanges, and dietetic ideas of Tang Dynasty with those of Song Dynasty. The purpose of this paper is to inspect the cultural differences between Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty by this particular perspective of the dietetic culture of the Tang and Song dynasties and to provide new perspective and evidence to further understand and study the social changes during Tang and Song dynasties.By respectively comparing the food, beverages, dietetic market, dietetic habits and custom, dietetic culture exchanges, and dietetic ideas of Tang Dynasty with those of Song Dynasty, this paper found that these were many remarkable differences between the dietetic culture of the Tang Dynasty and it of Song Dynasty. Firstly, the dietetic culture of Tang Dynasty deeply was influenced by nomadic and exotic cultures, so it had the distinctive feature of "Hu" nationality, while the dietetic culture of Song Dynasty greatly weakened the feature. Secondly, the dietetic culture of Tang Dynasty was gallant and rough, while the dietetic culture of Song Dynasty was delicate and refined. Thirdly, the dietetic culture of Tang Dynasty was notable for its aristocratic feature, while the dietetic culture of Song Dynasty was prominent for the feature of the common people. Lastly, the development of the dietetic culture of Tang Dynasty was largely confined to natural economy, while the factors of commercial economy sharply increased in the dietetic culture of Song Dynasty. The obvious differences that the dietetic culture of Tang Dynasty and it of Song Dynasty presented, from which it could be seen that the development of Chinese dietetic culture own was largely influenced by two different natural cultures of Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, were basically the same as the differences that Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty presented. Namely, many differences to Tang-Culture and Song-Culture could be seen form the specific perspective of the dietetic culture. This paper also found that the dietetic culture of Tang Dynasty was identical or similar to it of Song Dynasty in many aspects, which demonstrated the continuity of the development of Chinese dietetic culture own.In the process of inspecting the dietetic cultures of Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, this paper also found that, as the result of the imbalance what the Chinese dietetic culture own developed and it was infuluenced by the social changes of the Tang and Song dynasties, the ends which the internal elements of the Chinese dietetic culture had completed to renovate form mediaeval times to modern times were not unanimous. It was about the early Northern Song Dynasty that grain structure, daily dietetic habits, life dietetic custom and dietetic market had earliest completed the renovation. In the middle or late of Northern Song Dynasty, the staple food cooking had basically completed the renovation from mediaeval times to modern times. It was until the late of Southern Song Dynasty that meat structure, non-staple food cooking, tea culture, wine culture, festival dietetic custom had not yet completed the renovation from mediaeval times to modern times. Roundly being considered the ends that the various internal factors of the Chinese dietetic culture had completed to renovate from mediaeval times to modern times, it could not made the conclusion that the Chinese dietetic culture had undergone a great renovation during theTang and Song dynasties, and it could even not made the conclusions that Tang Dynasty was in the mediaeval times of the Chinese dietetic culture and that Song Dynasty was in the modern times of it. Because the Chinese dietetic culture in the early Ming was basically the same as it in the modern times, the paper adviced that it would be more appropriate that taking the early Ming Dynasty as the end that Chinese dietetic culture had ultimately completed the renovation from mediaeval times to modern times.Through this paper, it could be seen that although the renovation of the Chinese dietetic culture from the Middle Ancient to modern society was relate to the social change of the Tang and Song dynasties, it was its own development that was more important factor because the most contents of dietetic culture belonged to the material culture and it was limited impacting of social changes upon the material culture.Through this paper, it could be seen that although the renovation of the Chinese dietetic culture from mediaeval times to modern times was relate to the social change of the Tang and Song dynasties, it was its own development that was more important factor because the most contents of dietetic culture belonged to the material culture and it was limited impacting of social changes upon the material culture. For the innovatory standards of the Chinese dietetic culture from mediaeval times to modern times, the paper advised that it should be transferred from emphasizing "creative invention" to emphasizing "general popularization". It was because that the latter had the greater meaning for the life of ancient Chinese people and better reflected the actual dietetic life of ancient people than the former.