A World Within Chinese Spirits: Banquets and Food Culture in the Song Dynasty

Ji Changlan

Ji Changlan is a Doctor of History， associate professor， and Master’s tutor at Xinyang Normal University， “Nanhu Scholar，” Innovative Talent in Philosophy and Social Sciences in Universities in Henan Province， and a member of China Song History Research Association. He has presided over the completion of a number of projects of the National Social Science Fund and provincial and ministerial projects， and his research results have won the Henan Provincial Social Science Outstanding Achievement Award.

This book examines the representative banquet activities of the Song Dynasty from both official and non-governmental perspectives， reproduces the daily food life of the Song people in a situational manner， and shows the unique charm of China’s excellent traditional food culture.

A World Within Chinese Spirits: Banquets and Food Culture in the Song Dynasty

Ji Changlan

Social Academic and Science Press (China)

December 2023

89.80 (CNY)

The Song Dynasty was a flourishing period in the development of both material and spiritual civilizations in ancient Chinese society. As French scholar， Mr. Xie Henai noted， on the eve of the Mongol invasions， Chinese civilization was at its glorious peak in many aspects. Entertainment， art， social life， technology， and systems all reached advanced levels of their time. Later generations often held the material and cultural advancements of the Song Dynasty in high regard. A renowned minister of the Ming Dynasty， Wang Ao， once wrote in Long Talks by the Zhenze Lake --- Miscellaneous Discussions: “Household items from the Song people that have survived to this day are all exquisitely crafted.” This is a significant acknowledgment of the achievements in material civilization during the Song Dynasty， represented by such items.

Among the many impressive aspects， few perfectly illustrate the brilliant achievements of material and spiritual civilization developed by the Song Dynasty as well as banqueting. Banqueting refers to a feast， as defined in the Chinese dictionary Ciyuan (The Source of Words)， meaning “to set a feast and gather to drink.” Banqueting is a communal event where the displayed food， utensils， beverages， music and dance， games， rituals， and customs all collectively showcase the material progress and the cultural state of the populace， making it a convenient way to observe the societal development of the time.

Historically， hosting a banquet has never been a simple affair. The reasons for the banquet， the invitees， the timing， the venue， the arrangement of dishes， the choice of drinks， the seating plan， the etiquette during the meal， the pace of events， atmosphere management， and entertainment activities all require meticulous planning and arrangement. A successful banquet involves more than just eating and drinking. It encompasses numerous factors. From a personal perspective， each meticulously arranged banquet often tests the host’s financial and physical resources and serves as an important social tool. Small banquets bring together close friends to freely express themselves and complement old friendships. Within families， loved ones gather in a warm atmosphere， continuing familial bonds over cups and dishes. Among colleagues at the office， whether for official duties or personal connections， gathering for a banquet to communicate and interact is common. Large gatherings， such as banquets for childbirth， weddings， birthday celebrations， or funerals， are both solemn ceremonies and social necessities， forming a common and universal banquet model.

During the Song Dynasty， there were numerous types of banquets. There was no unified standard for categorizing banquets. Some were categorized by the social status and rank of the hosts and guests， classifying them into royals， bureaucrats， and commoners; Others were based on the reason for the banquet， divided into official and private gatherings. Regardless of the classification method， researchers each have their unique perspectives on banqueting activities. For the sake of narrative convenience and to enhance readability and visual appeal， this book primarily categorizes Song Dynasty banqueting activities into official and civilian types， discussing each in detail. National-level banqueting activities generally involved various official affairs， ranging from solemn national feasts to official banquets at different local levels. There were grand court gatherings， as well as great festivals for the emperor’s birthday and Po Banquets conducted in the name of the state to spread virtue among the populace. There were also less distinct public and private court banquets， including those led by the emperor for flower viewing， fishing， book appreciation， snow admiring， and crop watching， along with various others held without specific occasions. Such banquets varied in reason， topic， and rich content. Private banquets were also diverse， covering all aspects. Differences in customs between the north and south were evident in the banquet process， with each region’s rituals， cooking methods， flavor preferences， choice of ingredients， tableware arrangements， banquet etiquette， and entertainment activities showcasing vibrant local cultures and unique customs and traditions.

To more comprehensively present the facets of Song Dynasty society including politics， economics， arts， and cultural customs related to banqueting， the author strives to select typical examples for discussion， attempting to translate obscure ancient texts into accessible language， enhancing the narrative’s interest and readability while adhering to historical accuracy， providing a window into the lives of Song people.

Wilderness Banquets During the Song Dynasty

Wilderness banquets were spontaneous dining events held during excursions， not large in scale， either with a small group of friends or family gatherings， held in remote meadows or deep in the forests， offering a unique sense of spaciousness and leisure.

Among these， the Spring Exploration Banquet was particularly attractive and the most common form of wilderness banquet. During the Tang Dynasty， in early spring， both men and women would rush to travel by carriage or horse to enjoy festive banquets in gardens and fields， known as the “Spring Exploration Feast.” Men and women strolled and admired the spring wherever they went， setting up mats among the flowers and using red skirts as screens for their banquet enclosures. In the city of Chang’an， children of noble families would host spring banquets under tents in gardens every year， carrying oil clothes in case of rain and returning home after thoroughly enjoying themselves. On Shangsi Day， the emperor typically hosted a banquet by the Qu River while the residents of Chang’an played and drank there， a practice known as “stepping into the green.”

The tradition of wilderness banquets continued into the Song Dynasty， with the Spring Exploration Banquet remaining especially popular. In Hangzhou during the Southern Song Dynasty， residents engaged in outings throughout the year， with spring outings being particularly prominent. After the Lantern Festival， nobles and officials would compete to go on early spring outings， referred to as “exploring the spring.” These leisure activities continued until the Cold Food Festival reached their peak.

Apart from the spring outings， other types of excursion banquets were also very popular. In forests， gardens， and wherever the scenery was beautiful， one could see people enjoying themselves with singing， toasting， and merry-making. During the Northern Song period， the city of Bianjing was filled with various types of taverns and performers， with common snacks including rice water， cold mung bean soup， snail meat， sliced raw fish， green fish， alcohol-infused with plum blossoms， slices of hawthorn， apricot， plum， fragrant crisp plums， salted duck eggs， and assorted spicy vegetables， all contributing to the joyful atmosphere of the banquets. Besides the capital， Kaifeng， outing banquets were widespread across other regions， and the enthusiasm for such outings remained undiminished.

In Yangzhou， Ouyang Xiu built the majestic Pingshan Hall， renowned as the finest in Huainan， situated atop Shu Hill， “overlooking the three states of Zhen， Run， and Jinling as if within reach.” During the hot summer days， Ouyang Xiu would often entertain guests here， setting out early in the morning to indulge in merry-making and returning home late at night by the light of the moon. The gardens in Suzhou were numerous and uniquely beautiful， making them the preferred spots for recreational outings. During the reign of Emperor Huizong， Pan Dui and a group of friends would often linger in the Canglang Pavilion， drinking wine， writing poetry， and spending entire days in contentment. In the garden of the former residence of the Prince of Guangling， known as “South Garden，” there was a pavilion named “Flowing Cup and Spinning Conch，” known for its beautiful scenery. During Wang Yucheng’s tenure as magistrate of Changzhou， he would frequently bring guests to drink to their hearts’ content at this spot. The poem Accompanying Courtesans for Fun at Zhang Shanren’s Garden by Su Dongpo vividly describes an early summer day spent enjoying a banquet in the garden with friends， filled with joyous scenes.

Chengdu was also renowned for its banquet culture during the Song Dynasty. The leisurely and playful local customs of Chengdu， called “fond of walking and pleasure，” contributed to the widespread banquet culture. During the Northern Song period， Song Qi enjoyed banqueting and spent his later years as the prefect of Chengdu， favoring outings along the Jinjiang River. During these outings， he was often accompanied by dozens of singing girls and maids.

In the surrounding areas of Chengdu， the most celebrated scenic spot for outings was Huanhua Creek. Lu You， recalling his time in Chengdu， specifically mentioned the annual event on April 19， known as “Huanhua Outing Head.” On this day， the local population would turn out in full force， adorned in brocade， gathering to feast and drink at Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage and the Canglang Pavilion. This marked the culmination of the year’s series of banquet outings， reaching its grandest scale at this time. Song Renzhi， in his Record of Huanhua Outing， detailed the unprecedented grandeur of these public outings along Huanhua Creek. Whether nobles， scholars， commoners， or vendors， everyone， young and old， would join in， thronging the streets， and leaving the alleys empty. The festivities lasted all day， filled with joy and the lively sounds of flutes， drums， and singing， epitomizing the widespread banquet culture of the Song Dynasty.