The Development of Han Chinese’s Cuisine and Diet

Who is Han Chinese?

Han Chinese or Han people(simplified Chinese:汉族, traditional Chinese:漢族 pinyin: Hànzú or simplified Chinese:汉人, traditional Chinese:漢人 pinyin: Hànrén) is an Asian ethnic group that is native to the Yellow River Basin with history of more than 4,000 years, living all over the world now. They are the world‘s largest ethnic group contribute to 18% of the global population.In modern times, approximately 1.4 Han Chinese people live on China mainland. They also make up 75% of the population of Singapore.(this data is changing over time).

A video about Han Chinese’s history,their population in different period of time and how they influenced the world on Youtube: https://youtu.be/R4o8_usZjlQ

Han Chinese’s Food Changes:

A video about a brief introduce of Han Chinese’s food and cuisine about their tastes:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TKdiZXtPA7iSscdih5ItP54ovy1IyevQ/view?usp=sharing

At The Beginning of Agrarian Society:(B.C.10,000-B.C.7,000):

The Chinese agrarian society was formed in the Neolithic Age. When Han Chinese began to farm is still unsure.But sometime in the past tribes began to form in the Yellow River Basin. Here Han Chinese began to raise livestock, grow crops, and make abrasive stone tools. In a the paper published in Nature on October 4, 2012, the Shanghai Institute of Life Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Rice Research Institute, and the National Institute of Genetics showed that Guangxi province of China was the first place where Oryza sativa was planted artificially. With the development of agriculture and farming, Han Chinese get a constant supply of nutrients and energy, supporting a larger and cleverer brain.

In 1930, scientists discovered the remains of the upper caveman in a cave at the top of Longgu Mountain in Zhoukoudian, Beijing. This is a kind of H.erectus lived about 700,000 to 200,000 years ago.Dr. Wu Xinzhi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences believes that the upper caveman is the ancestors of the modern mongoloid.

Several studies suggest that the average brain volume of an upper caveman is about 1400ml, while that of a modern human is about 1500ml. But a further question is whether farming caused the increasing of human’s brain volume. This has also been explored in prior studies by scientists that a larger brain is paid for by a permanent increase in the net energy intake of an organism.A new study led by Gideon Nave of the Wharton School and Philipp Koellinger of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, has clarified the positive relationship does exist between brain volume and performance on cognitive, which can represent people’s IQ. Farming gives Han Chinese a more sustainable access to meat from livestock provides a constant supply of nutrients amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acids, and proteins that fuel a more powerful brain. At the same time,Oryza sativa contains a great amount of starch. Starch is converted into glucose while been digested, providing an essential energy resource for the human brain. So that might be farming making Han Chinese have a larger and cleverer brain comparing to their ancestor,upper caveman.

During the Yuan Dynasty(A.D.1271-A.D.1368):

Kublai Khan, who created mutton hotpot, established the Yuan Dynasty(A.D.1271),ruling Han Chinese. This made the Mongolian and Halal food famous and welcomed among Han Chinese. Sorghum, which is still a kind of staple food today in the Han Chinese’s diet, was introduced and became an important food of those Han Chinese live in North China in Yuan dynasty. Before the Yuan Dynasty, the Chinese Han didn’t like mutton very much. But during the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers, mainly the Mongols, many Han people became accustomed to eating mutton. Roast whole sheep was first practiced in China at that time and still widely known among Han Chinese. By the Ming Dynasty (A.D.1368-A.D.1644), mutton had become a very popular food in the court and among the people.

The official records of Yuan dynasty provides evidence to Mongolians also like drinking very much. They taught Han Chinese a lot about how to make wine. For example, they invented kumiss. The wine-making technology in Yuan Dynasty was greatly improved in China. Wheat, rice, black millet, broom, grape, lychee, deer, mare’s milk, and so on are made into wine. Many of them are still popular among the Han Chinese in the modern days.

Mutton develops the function of the brain as well as aids within the treatment regarding brain-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s.Alcohol is a good source of energy,but overconsuming alcohol will lead to significant damage to salivary gland, gums and tongues.Things I mentioned above apply to all human races.

After Chinese Economic Reform(A.D.1978-Now):

Chinese Economic Reform, which is known as the Opening of China in the west, refers to the program of economic reform in China named “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” and “socialist market economy” in the People’s Republic of China.

With the permission for entrepreneurs to start businesses in China,the success of Chinese Economic Reform and the manner of their implementation resulted in significant changes in Chinese society in the last 40 years, including greatly decreased poverty while people’s income have increased,leading many Han Chinese shifted from malnourished,especially protein deficiency, to nutrient balanced with the increasing of their assess to healthy and diversity food.According to the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, protein increases growth hormone levels, helping children grow taller and stay leaner. The amino acids in protein support child growth and development. On the other hand, a series of recent studies has indicated that when people are deficient in protein, their immunity decreases and they are more likely to develop edema ,Maramus ,kwashiorkor.On the opposite site,previous research showed that a high protein intake may increase children’s height and weight. So getting enough protein does makes Han Chinese get taller and healthier.By 2019, Chinese 19-year-olds,mainly Han Chinese,are the tallest in Eastern Asia on average (175.7cm for men and 163.3cm for women). In the 35 years from 1985 to 2019, Chinese men, mainly Han Chinese, saw the largest increase in their average height among more than 200 countries and regions.

Meanwhile, after the Chinese economic reform, a lot of western food entered Chinese food market. Western restaurants are also very popular in China now.According to my previous study,85.19% of my participants(they are all Han Chinese) have been to western restaurants, while 18.52% of all my participants eat in western restaurants once a week.By 2017, There were more than 20,000 western food industries in China. In these more than 20,000 western food enterprises, there were 3,200 Western dinner industries, 4,000 Western fast food industries, 3,840 bars industries, 3,500 coffee industries, 3,000 cafe tea industries, and about 2,500 Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian food enterprises. More than 60 percent of these enterprises are privately owned, with state-owned enterprises accounting for less than 5 percent. At present, there are 100,000 western chefs, 120,000 service personnel, and about 20,000 management personnel.

Western food has also become a big part of the Han Chinese’s home-made diet. Many Han Chinese like to make sandwiches, bread, cookies, ice cream, and other Western food at home. My study shows that 51.85% of my participants make western food at home.That’s how problems rise.Western-style foods are mostly high in saturated fat, simple carbohydrates, and sugar, with a lot of processing and little nutritional density, leading to a increasing rate of getting diabetes and obesity among Han Chinese.
Han Chinese in a Western Restaurant

Conclusion:

In conclusion,shifting from hunting and gathering food to farming gave Han Chinese a more intelligent brain.The food introduction of Mongolia rules during the Yuan dynasty let Han Chinese eat more mutton and have more diversity ways to make wines.The Chinese Economic Reform let most Han Chinese got rid of malnutrients and have the access to western food,but it also leading to a increasing rate of diabetes and obesity among them.

Reference

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