In ancient times, during the Clean Plate Campaign, people really had to take away what they couldn’t finish?

In the present moment

The "Clean Plate Campaign" has gained widespread popularity

This is the embodiment of environmental protection

It is also a practice of refusing waste

Actually

The "Clean Plate Campaign" already appeared in ancient times

A small "packing" action

Not only the ancients

Practice of “Every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work”

Full of love for family

Next Steps

Let us travel back to ancient times

Explore the past and present of the "Clean Plate Campaign"

Tracing

The rituals of gift packages in the Zhou Dynasty

Bronze tripod, used for cooking or holding meat

In ancient times, the rules for packing food also varied in size, including "gift packs" and "penalty packs." The emperor's imperial banquets even had a "return order" - if you couldn't finish the food, you had to "take it away."

This tradition can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty, when there were many etiquette rules for dining, which carefully regulated the details of various banquets. From these etiquette rules, we can read about the plot of packing.

Lacquerware unearthed from Xin Zhui's tomb

Taking "The Rites of Zhou: The Ceremony of the Duke's Meal for the Minister" as an example, the so-called "Ceremony of the Duke's Meal for the Minister" is the ceremony of banquets when the monarch entertains envoys from other countries.

The procedure of the banquet is as follows: the king first sends a doctor to the guesthouse to welcome the envoy and inform him that a banquet will be held. The envoy declines three times and finally follows the doctor to the banquet venue. At this time, the preparations for the banquet have already begun. Seven tripods, washing plates, and basins are displayed in the hall. The seats are laid out, the tables are set, and the wine and food are ready. The king, wearing formal clothes, welcomes the guests at the gate. The host and the guest bow to each other repeatedly, and then they take their seats.

Soon the cook and servants presented the dishes, fish, meat, and vinegar sauce. The types and positions of these foods and drinks were regulated and must not be mixed up.

The ancient book "Yili", source: Guoxue.com

Based on the detailed records in the Book of Rites, some Confucian scholars have restored and studied the display format of food and drink used in the "Public Meal for Officials Ceremony", which is very spectacular and very organized.

Finally, the food and soup were served, and the feast began. The host and the guest bowed to each other again, and the guest offered wine and food, and then began to eat.

After the banquet, the envoy said goodbye and the king saw him off at the door. The chef and others packed up the remaining beef, mutton and pork and sent them to the hotel where the envoy was staying.

The leftovers of meat and rice were given to guests, even if they were envoys from other countries. If they could not finish them, they had to "take them away". This was obviously not considered a disrespectful act to the envoys at that time. This was considered a "gift package", a standard act of dining etiquette.

Bring a drink

Oil capsules carry away precious tea

In ancient times, food and drinks could be packaged, and there are examples of this in the Tang Dynasty.

According to Yunxian Miscellaneous Notes, Zhichong, a monk at Juelin Temple, divided tea into three grades according to quality: he served guests with "Jinglei Pods", served himself with "Hemerocallis Dai", and offered Buddha with "Zirongxiang". He offered the best tea to Buddha, drank the lower grade tea himself, and used the middle grade tea for guests.

Whenever he had guests, he would use the oil bag to collect the leftover tea and take it home to drink, as he was reluctant to throw it away.

The oil can't be drunk, so it's just too precious. This oil bag is an impermeable cloth bag, which has the same function as modern plastic bags.

Nostalgia

Tang Dynasty Packing to Show Filial Piety

In ancient times, officials who had the opportunity to attend imperial banquets naturally felt extremely honored, and sometimes they would try to secretly bring back some food for their families to taste.

This behavior should be regarded as stealing food. Stealing food from the imperial banquet had become a custom in the Tang Dynasty, but no one regarded this behavior as theft.

Later, when those ministers knelt to express their gratitude to the emperor, they accidentally spilled the food that they had secretly kept in their arms and sleeves all over the floor. This scene moved Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, so he issued the "Take Home Order", and from then on, the ministers could generously take back the unfinished food at the imperial banquet.

In addition, the emperor also asked the Taiguan (an official title, in charge of the food of all officials) to prepare two portions of food for the officials to take home to honor their parents.

In the Ming Dynasty, Lu Shen's "Jintai Jiwen" wrote about this incident: "The practice of returning home with leftovers from court banquets began during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. After the banquet, officials would bow and dance and leave fruit behind. When asked about it, everyone said they were returning home to give to their parents or children."

According to Lu Shen, if you cannot finish the food at the imperial banquet, you must take it away with you, otherwise you will be charged with a crime, perhaps the crime of "unfilial piety".

Sometimes the emperor was very generous when hosting a banquet. After eating and drinking, the ministers could take back the uneaten food, or take two additional portions of prepared food. This was called "Huaigui".

Gold and Silver Ware of the Tang Dynasty

Moreover, sometimes what was brought back was not only food, but even the tableware used at that time, sometimes porcelain, and sometimes precious gold and silver utensils.

In his book "Records of Spring and Ming Dreams" written by Sun Chengze of the Qing Dynasty, he talked about the situation in the Ming Dynasty and said: "Whenever the court gave banquets to its ministers, they would take the utensils back home and treasure them up as heirloom sacrificial utensils."

With the "Huaigui Order", all the bowls and plates at the imperial banquet were cleared out.

Source: Chongqing Jiulongpo District Cultural Relics Management Office

Author: Chongqing Ba People Museum

Source: Guangming Daily, Wenzhai Daily, First Cultural Relics Restoration Research Institute, CCTV-1

Image source: Photo Network

Audit expert: Zhao Yong

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