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Ancient Chinese sages have said， “Food is what matters most to people.” Eating is the first necessity for human survival. It is also a lifestyle. In addition to allaying one’s hunger， eating connotes the following： with whom to eat， where and what to eat， and why and how to eat. Eating has long been a cultural force in China.
Eating pervades Chinese social lives. Chinese place the dinner table at the central point of social contact， making it an epitome of complicated social phenomena.
Today， table culture in China not only conveys mutual feelings but also fulfills the function of social communication. Chinese writer Qian Zhongshu wrote，“Eating performs many social functions， such as establishing a close relationship or settling a business contract. Though complicated in various society segments， eating has a simple nature. Offering a meal to a person who can afford his meal is inviting him to dinner. Going to somebody’s dinner party is to give face. The nuance of social contact lies in examples such as these.”
A renowned publisher， Shen Changwen， told of his experience with writers： “I favor eating together. To deal with educated people， or get on well with thinkers， dining with them may be my only contact； so where to eat， and what he likes to eat， is most important. Eating facilitates conversation， and we have many things about which to talk.”
There are numerous occasions for Chinese people to come together to eat at the same table： wooing lovers， getting married， giving birth to a child， getting a promotion， quitting one’s present job and finding a new one， moving to a new home. More common occasions include being awarded scholarships， and parties for classmates， townsfolk and birthday celebrations.
Studying table culture can serve as a window to observe Chinese civilization in its thousands of years’ evolution. Five thousand years of history， culture and customs are manifested in eating. The excellence of dinner parties does not lie in just “eating，” but in the parties through which diners may reach their goals.
A Chinese-style dinner party has the function of making a social contact， sending a message of becoming friends， and identifying all diners as part of the same group. To talk about business at a dinner table is casual and straightforward for Chinese people. If failing to settle business， the diners can still eat and drink without hurting one another.
In terms of a dinner party， the Chinese pay great attention to detail. First， when arranging a dinner table， Chinese people love round tables of over 10 guests， rather than small square tables. Many diners and a merry atmosphere give a greater sense of togetherness.
Second， on the issue of seats， respectful and humble seats are clearly defined for a Chinese table， with the former usually inside and the latter outside by the door.
Third， in terms of ordering food in a Western-style restaurant， each diner is given a menu to choose what he likes. In traditional Chinese restaurants one or two menus are generally provided for a table. Diners choose food together， so they try to select food everybody likes， without catering to personal preferences.
Fourth， regarding the eating style， each diner in a Western restaurant eats food from his own plate， simplifying the situation. Or he may taste somebody else’s food once or twice at the most. At a Chinese dinner party， there are plenty of factors： the order of putting down chopsticks， or persuading people to drink more wine or have more dishes.
Finally， with respect to paying for the dinner， there are also many things to learn. Before coming to dinner， the Chinese know who should pay or who is treating them to the dinner.
They rarely go Dutch. Because Chinese dinners are mostly for social contact， the key is not what to eat， but who should pay the bill， with whom to dine， and why to dine. When all of the above are known， the decision regarding who takes the bill is naturally solved.
Chinese dinner parties also contribute to close relationships between people. Though some may like or dislike it， people are still willing to use dinners as a way to build friendship. For Chinese people， dining together serves as a lubricant in their busy lives. A simple dinner party may serve as a communication point among relatives or friends， or a negotiation between business partners. The so-called human connections， circles， social relations， resources， a person’s capability， friendship， or business and transactions can never get round the dinner party in the end. Eating and drinking promotes friendship， and resolves difficulties and conflicts. Cultural dining is also an outstanding Chinese way of dealing with matters.
Eating pervades Chinese social lives. Chinese place the dinner table at the central point of social contact， making it an epitome of complicated social phenomena.
Today， table culture in China not only conveys mutual feelings but also fulfills the function of social communication. Chinese writer Qian Zhongshu wrote，“Eating performs many social functions， such as establishing a close relationship or settling a business contract. Though complicated in various society segments， eating has a simple nature. Offering a meal to a person who can afford his meal is inviting him to dinner. Going to somebody’s dinner party is to give face. The nuance of social contact lies in examples such as these.”
A renowned publisher， Shen Changwen， told of his experience with writers： “I favor eating together. To deal with educated people， or get on well with thinkers， dining with them may be my only contact； so where to eat， and what he likes to eat， is most important. Eating facilitates conversation， and we have many things about which to talk.”
There are numerous occasions for Chinese people to come together to eat at the same table： wooing lovers， getting married， giving birth to a child， getting a promotion， quitting one’s present job and finding a new one， moving to a new home. More common occasions include being awarded scholarships， and parties for classmates， townsfolk and birthday celebrations.
Studying table culture can serve as a window to observe Chinese civilization in its thousands of years’ evolution. Five thousand years of history， culture and customs are manifested in eating. The excellence of dinner parties does not lie in just “eating，” but in the parties through which diners may reach their goals.
A Chinese-style dinner party has the function of making a social contact， sending a message of becoming friends， and identifying all diners as part of the same group. To talk about business at a dinner table is casual and straightforward for Chinese people. If failing to settle business， the diners can still eat and drink without hurting one another.
In terms of a dinner party， the Chinese pay great attention to detail. First， when arranging a dinner table， Chinese people love round tables of over 10 guests， rather than small square tables. Many diners and a merry atmosphere give a greater sense of togetherness.
Second， on the issue of seats， respectful and humble seats are clearly defined for a Chinese table， with the former usually inside and the latter outside by the door.
Third， in terms of ordering food in a Western-style restaurant， each diner is given a menu to choose what he likes. In traditional Chinese restaurants one or two menus are generally provided for a table. Diners choose food together， so they try to select food everybody likes， without catering to personal preferences.
Fourth， regarding the eating style， each diner in a Western restaurant eats food from his own plate， simplifying the situation. Or he may taste somebody else’s food once or twice at the most. At a Chinese dinner party， there are plenty of factors： the order of putting down chopsticks， or persuading people to drink more wine or have more dishes.
Finally， with respect to paying for the dinner， there are also many things to learn. Before coming to dinner， the Chinese know who should pay or who is treating them to the dinner.
They rarely go Dutch. Because Chinese dinners are mostly for social contact， the key is not what to eat， but who should pay the bill， with whom to dine， and why to dine. When all of the above are known， the decision regarding who takes the bill is naturally solved.
Chinese dinner parties also contribute to close relationships between people. Though some may like or dislike it， people are still willing to use dinners as a way to build friendship. For Chinese people， dining together serves as a lubricant in their busy lives. A simple dinner party may serve as a communication point among relatives or friends， or a negotiation between business partners. The so-called human connections， circles， social relations， resources， a person’s capability， friendship， or business and transactions can never get round the dinner party in the end. Eating and drinking promotes friendship， and resolves difficulties and conflicts. Cultural dining is also an outstanding Chinese way of dealing with matters.