Chinese Table Manners

Chinese dining traditions have as long a history as the history of "Chinese Cooking". The Chinese people pride themselves on being one of the earliest peoples to develop sophisticated notions of polite social interaction, including highly sophisticated rules of etiquette governing acceptable table manners. Since 'wining and dining' guests is an old and esteemed tradition in China, it is not surprising that Chinese society has developed an intricate set of rules to govern also this delicate aspect of social interaction, where the potential to offend others is always present.

Chinese dining etiquette, whether it applies to receiving only a few guests at a single table in one's home or to holding a public banquet involving dozens of guests seated at several tables, varies with the character and purpose of the dinner. It also differs slightly from region to region in China. China's banquet etiquette is said to have originated from the Yili ("Etiquette and Ceremonials"), a work believed to have been penned by the Duke of Zhou during the Zhou (BCE 1027-221) Dynasty, though no independent mention of the book exists until the beginning of the Han (BCE 206 - CE 220) Dynasty. Through thousands of years of evolution, Chinese dining etiquette has continued to develop, albeit always with one foot in the traditions of the past.

The rules of Chinese dining etiquette - some of which are implicit though most are eminently explicit - cover such things as presenting oneself to the host (and presenting the host with a gift), the seating arrangement at a single table - as well as who sits at which table at a banquet - the "pecking order" of the toast (and the signal that dining may commence), and how to hold a rice bowl (as well as the Dos & Don'ts of serving oneself from a platter). Then there is a long list of elemenatary Don'ts that cover what might be termed "good table manners" in any civilized society, but which we will elegantly pass over here under the assumption that the reader requires no pointers in this regard