A Study On The Diet Culture In Zhou Dynasty

In this paper,we have made a systematic study on the diet culture in Zhou Dynasty. This paper was divided into twelve parts altogether. The first part is preface. At first, we showed the study significance of diet culture in Zhou Dynasty. Then we reviewed the former research on the title in synthetic study of general and periodic history and study of special subject, refer to it contribute to this title and which kind of question need to be resolved. At last, we pointed out the method on how to study the title.In the first chapter, we explained the daily diet of different social stratum in Zhou Dynasty. Each stratum has its own diet standard which showed the strict rank, and the most important difference of daily diet between ruling class and the ruled was wether they eat meat or not. While this situation was not absolute, the ruler had some special addiction except the diet which was fit for his class, incuding some rare wild game. In the same time, the ruled also had the chance to eat meat in some special time, especially after the end of Spring and Autumn. Because of the development of economy and"Li Huai Yue Beng", the populace had more chances to eat meat, even the diet which was enjoyed only by the ruler class.In the second chapter, we discussed the diet containers of Zhou Dynasty. The diet containers of Zhou Dynasty had many type if differentiated from the raw material, including bronzes, wooden furniture, bamboo articles and so on, and the bronzes was used only by the ruling class. In addition, if differentiated from function, the diet containers included food and drinking utensils, and food utensils included cooking utensils, holding utensils, catching utensils. Cooking utensils included"Huo","Li","Yan", and"Ding","Fu","Xu","Dun","Bian", "Dou","Zu"were part of the holding utensils. Catching utensils included"Bi","Si","Bi","Shao","YuCuan","Jia"and so forth. Seen from the documents, drinking utensils had some kinds of forms, such as the"zhi","Jue","Hu","Gu","Zun","Jiao","Lei","Gong","Jia","You"and so on, which were similar with the antiquities. Diet containers were not only used to cook and hold foods, but also the symbol of power and status in Zhou Dynasty, especially the bronzes. After the warring States, lacquer wares took the place of bronzes gradually, and became the important kind of diet containers.In the third chapter, we discussed the way of diet cuisine in Zhou Dynasty in detail. The making of drinks included the liquor and"Jiang", and the rich kinds of grains were the raw material. The liquor included not only the"Jiu","LI","Chang", but also some medicinal and sweet liquor."Jiang"was a kind of drinking with light acidity ,and made from grains which fermented by bacterium. Food cuisine was divided into principal food and non-staple food, the principal food cuisine consisted of porridge, rice and grains which were dried by fire. The cuisine of non-staple food was major in the cooking way of meat, including steaming, boiling, barbecue, dried meat, fresh meat,minced fish or meat paste, fried meat and so on. In addition, fruits and vegetables also had their own cooking way. The vegetables were mainly used to season the cooking of meat and make the food of"JiZu". The fruits could be dried and deposited for a long time in order to be satisfied with the need of people at any time.In the fourth chapter, we discussed the way which could make people gain adequate food and drinking in Zhou Dynasty. From the well, people of Zhou Dynasty could gain water , and had had certain understanding between the health of people and water. In addition, the agriculture, animal husbandry, collection and fishing and hunting made people have the adequate and stable source of food, but with the development of economy, the importance of collection and fishing and hunting was reduced gradually. At last, the system of tribute also was the important way which could make the king's diet adequate. In the fifth chapter, we discussed the storage of diet in Zhou Dynasty. There were three way for the people to store grain, namly granary, storage outdoor and cellar, and the cellar was also fit for the storage of meat. By the way of ice storage , people of Zhou Dynasty stored the diet temporarily, and they had had abundant experience and sound management system for the ice, including the exploitation, transportation, storage and usage.In the sixth chapter, we discussed the diet customs in Zhou Dynasty from eight parts. namely the phenomenon of eating people, the number of daily meals, the form and ceremony of a meal, the custom of diet in honour of the senior, the phenomenon of person sponging on an aristocrat in warring states, the diet custom of foetal training and cold foods.In the seventh chapter, we discussed the diet system in Zhou Dynasty. It was mainly manifested by the system of"ChuanShi", office of diet and some kinds of diet rules in Zhou Ceremony which consisted of"Ji","Xiong","Jun","Bin","Jia".In the eighth chapter, we discussed the character, function and decline of the diet system in Zhou Dynasty. The character mainly included music before meal, offering sacrifices to Gods or ancestors before meal and resisting overdrinking and so on. The diet system of Zhou Dynasty had double functions in the aspect of politics and society. Political function was to defend the reign of Zhou Dynasty, especially in consoling the remain people of Shang Dynasty and consolidating the"Fen Feng"and"Zong Fa"systems. In addition, it also had the function in establishing the harmonious relationship between persons which included relatives, friends, neighbors and different social class. The decline of the diet system of Zhou Dynasty mainly lay in three aspects. Firstly, the resisting overdrinking policy had lost its efficiency. Secondly, some of the diet courtesy because stereotype, while others remained pieces. Thirdly, the social and political function of the diet system changed completely.In the ninth chapter, we discussed the diet economy of Zhou Dynasty. After the end of Spring and Autumn, the diet economy of Zhou Dynasty had the chance to developed quickly, and the development was mainly manifested by five aspects. That is, the appearance of diet goods and its monopoly district at the market, the development of folk slaughtering trade and catering at the market, the sound system of monitor in diet quality and the free exchange of grain at the market.In the tenth chapter, we discussed the thinking of diet in Zhou Dynasty. At the time of Spring and Autumn and Warring States, the thought of people turned more and more active, and people had many ideas about the diet. These ideas lay in seven aspects, namely the psychology of catering, the basic requirement of human being, the appearance of morality of people, way to stay healthy, the ideology of"WuXing"about diet, the thinking of filial piety about diet and the taboo of diet.In the eleventh chapter, we discussed the regional difference of diet culture in Zhou Dynasty from five aspects, namely the difference of diet, diet container, regional product, diet courtesy and the way of diet cuisine.