During the Wei, the Jin, and the Northern and Southern dynasties, China witnessed a massive migration; and people of various ethnic origins came to live together in the some communities. People from various ethnic groups shared different cultures and customs, including an exchange of foods and cooking styles. A book entitled Important Arts for the People’s Welfare by Jia Sixie from the Northern Wei Dynasty describes a number of cooking techniques and includes many recipes. Between the Tang and Song dynasties, varied cuisine flourished. These focused not only on the smell and taste of food, but also on its color appearance and design. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the development of sea transportation brought delicacies like shark’s fin, sea cucumber and swallow’s nests to the banquet table. Menus of the Sui Garden by Yuan Mei from the Qing Dynasty describes the preparation of many delicacies and sumptuous foods while expounding and analyzing various theories of cooking. The Manchu-Han banquet came into being in the Qing Dynasty. This consisted of six minor courses, six main courses, two or three desserts and 24 trays (4 of dried fruits, 4 of fresh fruits, 4 of preserved fruits, 8 cold foods and 4 hot foods). In addition, guests were served appetizers and two courses of tea before the meal. The banquet was extravagant and displayed the exquisiteness of Chinese cuisine.

This article by Yang Tianqing and Daniel Kister.