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Food and drink are essential not only for human survival, but also as important indicators of social development and progress. Food culture is a significant part of traditional Chinese culture. The dining tables of ancient China have witnessed thousands of years of culinary evolution and cultural transformation, from eating raw food to eating cooked food, from simple soups and fermented beverages to sumptuous delicacies. Eating is not just about satisfying hunger and staying alive; it is also an expression of a way of life. The wisdom and dignity of living can be seen everywhere in the preparation and enjoyment of food.

On December 28, 2021, the National Museum of China launched a thematic exhibition ‘Ancient Chinese Food Culture’. The exhibition aims to show the evolution and cultural significance of food in ancient China, to invite visitors to savour its flavours, and to provide an in-depth understanding of the vitality of China’s cultural heritage.

Ancient Chinese food culture has a history of thousands of years. It encompasses not only exquisitely crafted food utensils, well-established culinary systems and an immense body of literary works and regulations, but it has also engendered philosophical concepts, political wisdom and scientific ideas that have influenced the development of Chinese civilisation. It is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for literary and artistic creations such as traditional music, dance, painting, sculpture, and poetry.

The exhibition displays more than 240 carefully selected artefacts, which reveal the evolution of China’s culinary culture from various perspectives, including ingredients, utensils, techniques, and etiquette. It vividly portrays the daily life of ancient Chinese working people, reflecting their longing for and confidence in a life of abundance.