Lecture 8: Yin and Yang of Classical Chinese Cuisine
Probably more important than anything, one thinker in particular is
central to Chinese thought: Confucius. Briefl y, Confucius thought
that proper behavior, understanding where you are in the social
hierarchy, and always obeying your superiors—whether they are
parents or political rulers—
not only fosters social
harmony, but also refl ects
and infl uences cosmic
harmony. In other words,
if the family or state is in
discord, so are the heavens. Confucian thought becomes
the ruling principle of
Chinese politics, and the
bureaucrats, or shi, become
the crucial functionaries of
the state. The individual, individual desires, and individual rights
are subordinated to the good of the whole and maintaining harmony.
The signifi cance of this for food history is that ritualization of daily
life, including eating, becomes the rule—manners especially. Another thinker of this period, Laozi (also 6th century B.C.), is the
father of Daoism. The major principle governing Daoist thought is
that individuals should live in harmony with nature and not try to
do things unsuited to their nature or beyond their limitations. It’s
a matter of accepting who you are and what you’re good at and
not trying to be what you’re not. This is basically a philosophy of
inaction, unlike Confucianism. The importance of Daoism to food history is the emphasis on
simplicity and closeness to nature. Daoist sages promote a simple
lifestyle that will be held as an ideal in Chinese culture and will
stand in opposition to luxuriant, ritualized, and artifi cial court
culture. These sages also promote longevity regimes and medicines
that will be very important in the Chinese pharmacopoeia.Confucius (551–479 B.C.E) was an
infl uential Chinese philosopher.© iStockphoto/Thinkstock.