Manchu–Han Imperial Feast

"Manhan Quanxi" redirects here. For the movie, see The Chinese Feast.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Manchu–Han Imperial Feast" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

Manchu–Han Imperial Feast

Manchu-Han Imperial Feast displayed at Tao Heung Museum of Food Culture

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese| 滿漢全席
Simplified Chinese| 满汉全席
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Mǎnhàn quánxí
Bopomofo| ㄇㄢˇ ㄏㄢˋ ㄑㄩㄢˊ ㄒㄧˊ
Wade–Giles| Man³han⁴ ch'üan²hsi²

Romanization| Moe上hoe去 zie平zih入
Hakka
Romanization| Man²⁴hon⁵⁵ qion¹¹qiag⁵
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping| Mun⁵hon³ cyun zik⁶
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ| Buánhàn tsuânsi̍k
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet| Mãn Hán toàn tịch
Korean name
Hangul| 만한전석
Hanja| 滿漢全席
| Transcriptions

Revised Romanization| Manhan jeonseok
McCune–Reischauer| Manhan chŏnsŏk
Japanese name
Kanji| 満漢全席
Kana| まんかんぜんせき
| Transcriptions

Romanization| Mankan zenseki

The term Manchu–Han Imperial Feast (simplified Chinese: 满汉全席; traditional Chinese: 滿漢全席; pinyin: Mǎnhàn quánxí, and also Comprehensive Manchu–Han Banquet[1]) refers to a style of cooking and a type of grand banquet that combines elements of Manchu and Han's Chinese cuisine developed in the Qing dynasty of China (1644–1912). The origins are disputed, but by the nineteenth century, the style became popular and was emulated in twentieth and twenty-first-century restaurants.[1]

## History[edit]

### Qing dynasty[edit]

When the Qing dynasty took control of China in the seventeenth century, they replaced the Ming dynasty chefs in the palace, who were mostly from Shandong, with their own Manchu cooks. Manchu food was the main food served in the palace until the Qianlong emperor invited notable chefs from the south to join the palace kitchen. The new style of cooking included Shandong, southern, and Manchu elements, and resulted in what was called a "Manchu-Han banquet" (Man Han quanxi). This style of the banquet was not featured at palace banquets, but soon became fashionable and by the nineteenth had spread to cities such as Canton and Tianjin.[2]

Another legend is that the Kangxi Emperor wanted to resolve disputes between Manchu and Han peoples, so he held a banquet during his 66th birthday celebration (with 66 being a special number in Chinese culture, see Chinese numerology). The banquet consisted of Manchu and Han dishes, with officials from both ethnic groups attending the banquet together.[3]

There is also another theory that this kind of feast never existed in the history, but was a xiangsheng sketch comedy instead, which included a long list of various dishes.

### Preparation[edit]

The meal comprised six banquets over three days with over 300 dishes. Altogether there are said to have been 196 main dishes and 124 snack dishes, for a total of 320 dishes sampled over three days. Depending on how the dishes are counted with the samples, at the absolute minimum there were 108 dishes.[3] The feast was divided into inner-palace and outer-palace banquets; only the imperial family and meritorious officials, including Han officials above the second rank, were invited into the inner-palace banquets.[citation needed] A book[which?] from the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796) gives a detailed description of the feast and the dishes and ingredients.[citation needed]

### The meal[edit]

It is said that there were "Thirty-Two Delicacies," referring to exotic ingredients used for the banquet. The "Eight Mountain Delicacies" includes such dishes as camel's hump, bear's paws, monkey's brains, ape's lips, leopard fetuses, rhinoceros tails, and deer tendons. The "Eight Land Delicacies" includes several precious fowls and mushrooms, and the "Eight Sea Delicacies" includes dried sea cucumbers, shark's fin, bird's nest soup and others.

Some of the dishes:

* Snowy Palm: bear claw with sturgeon[3]
* Golden Eyes and Burning Brain: bean curd simmered in chicken, duck and cuckoo brains
* Monkey King and Shark: goat brain
* Monkey brain
* Egg tart
* Wensi Tofu
* Dezhou braised chicken
* Peking duck
* Shark fin soup
* Edible bird's nest
* Dried sea cucumbers
* Ye wei

### Utensils[edit]

The utensils, like the food, were lavish; the majority of utensils were finely crafted bronzeware and porcelainware in the shape of many animals which was designed with mechanisms for keeping the dishes warm throughout the meal.[citation needed] In general the Manchu dishes were first sampled, followed by the Han dishes.[citation needed]

## In popular culture[edit]

The imperial meal was re-enacted in the movie The Chinese Feast, which featured a banquet of 108 dishes served in six meals over the course of three days. The dishes themselves involved exotic ingredients and a variety of cooking techniques from every part of Imperial China.[3] The television drama Happy Ever After and Gilded Chopsticks, in the anime Cooking Master Boy and the television series My Fair Princess, as well as in chapters 106 and 142 of the manga Medaka Box.

In modern times, the Chinese term "Manhan Quanxi" can be used as an idiomatic expression to represent any feast of significant proportions. As an example, various media outlets may refer to a dinner gala as "Manhan Quanxi", while in China there are also numerous cooking competitions which make use of the aforementioned name,[4] while not specifically referring to the original meaning of the imperial feast. The name is also used extensively in product names in the food industry, such usage evident as brands of sauces and instant noodles by various companies.

An abridged version of the Cantonese version of the imperial meal was depicted in Mister Ajikko, where the dessert: Almond Tofu dessert is used as a contest against the expert in the dish: A corrupt monk in the Cuisine Temple.[5]

An inspiration of the imperial meal was re-enacted in Kung Fu Panda Holiday.

A fictional Japanese version of the imperial meal was depicted in The Last Recipe.[6]

In the anime Kore wa Zombi Desu ka? (English: Is This a Zombie?) the mute character Eucliwood Hellscythe, who communicates by writing messages, demands that the main character make her dinner; then follows up this demand by demanding a "Manchu Imperial Feast."

## Replicas[edit]

There have been attempts since 1720 to replicate the original Manhan Quanxi and in the late 1980s, a certain replica meal[which?] was estimated to cost over one million Japanese yen.[7] Many of the animals used in the meal are endangered species today.

## See also[edit]

* China portal
* Taiwan portal
* Food portal
* History portal

* List of dining events

## Further reading[edit]

* Chang, Michael G. (2017), "12", Of Feasts and Feudatories: The Politics of Commensal Consumption at the Early Kangxi Court, Leiden: Brill, pp. 307–329, ISBN 9789004353459
* Kuang, Lanlan (2017). "China's Emerging Food Media: Promoting Culinary Heritage in the Global Age". Gastronomica. 17 (3): 68–81. doi:10.1525/gfc.2017.17.3.68.

## External links[edit]

* Man-Han Banquet-China Story (2019).

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Isaac Yue (2018). "The Comprehensive Manchu–Han Banquet: History, Myth, and Development". Ming Qing Yanjiu. 22 (1). Brill: 93–111. doi:10.1163/24684791-12340022. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
2. ^ Rawski, Evelyn S. (1998). The Last Emperors: A Social History of Qing Imperial Institutions. University of California Press. p. 46. ISBN 0-520-21289-4.
3. ^ a b c d Michael Hoover; Lisa Odham Stokes (1999). City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema. Verso. pp. 237–238. ISBN 1-85984-203-8.
4. ^ 红厨帽快车-新闻中心 Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ Episode 57 of Mr. Ajikko (Japanese with Chinese subtitles)
6. ^ "The Last Recipe: Kirin no shita no kioku (2017)". IMDb. 3 Nov 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
7. ^ Chang, Jianhua 常建華, “Sheng Qing Yangzhou de chengshi shenghuo: yi Yangzhou huafang lu wei zhongxin 盛清揚州的城市生活：以揚州畫舫錄為中心”, in Sheng Qing shehui yu Yangzhou yanjiu 盛清社會與揚州研究 Feng Mingzhu 馮明珠(ed.), 227–258, Taipei: Yuanliu chubanshe, 2011.

* v
* t
* e

Qing dynasty topics

History|

| Early

(1616-1683)

* Jurchen unification
* Later Jin
* Seven Grievances
* Later Jin invasion of Joseon
* Qing invasion of Joseon
* Transition from Ming to Qing
* Battle of Shanhai Pass
* Great Clearance
* Battle of Penghu
* Revolt of the Three Feudatories

|

High Qing

(1683-1799)

* Sino-Russian border conflicts
* Dzungar–Qing Wars
* Chinese expedition to Tibet (1720)
* Chinese Rites controversy
* Ten Great Campaigns
* Miao Rebellion (1735–1736)
* Lhasa riot of 1750
* Revolt of the Altishahr Khojas
* Afaqi Khoja revolts
* Sino-Burmese War (1765–1769)
* Lin Shuangwen rebellion
* Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa
* Sino-Nepalese War
* Miao Rebellion (1795–1806)
* White Lotus Rebellion

19th century

(1801-1900)

* Eight Trigrams uprising of 1813
* First Opium War
* Dogra–Tibetan War (Sino-Sikh War)
* Taiping Rebellion
* Nian Rebellion
* Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856)
* Small Swords Society
* Miao Rebellion (1854–1873)
* Nepal-Tibet War (1855–1856)
* Panthay Rebellion
* Second Opium War
* Punti–Hakka Clan Wars
* Amur Annexation
* Self-Strengthening Movement
* Tongzhi Restoration
* Dungan Revolt (1862–1877)
* Mudan incident
* Tianjin Massacre
* Margary Affair
* Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1874)
* Northern Chinese Famine
* Qing reconquest of Xinjiang
* Sino-French War
* Sikkim expedition
* Jindandao incident
* First Sino-Japanese War
* Gongche Shangshu movement
* Dungan Revolt (1895–1896)
* Hundred Days' Reform
* Third plague pandemic
* Boxer Rebellion
* Red Lanterns
* Eight-Nation Alliance
* Declaration of war

20th century

(1901-1912)

* Late Qing reforms
* British expedition to Tibet
* 1905 Batang uprising
* 1909 Provincial Assembly elections
* Chinese expedition to Tibet (1910)
* Manchurian plague
* Railway Protection Movement
* 1911 Revolution
* Wuchang Uprising
* Xinhai Lhasa turmoil
* Mongolian Revolution of 1911
* 1911 Revolution in Xinjiang
* Imperial Edict of the Abdication of Puyi
* Articles of Favourable Treatment
* Manchu Restoration

Government|

* Emperor
* List
* Family tree
* Amban
* Cup of Solid Gold
* Deliberative Council
* Flag of the Qing dynasty
* Grand Council
* Great Qing Legal Code
* Imperial Clan Court
* Imperial Commissioner
* Imperial Household Department
* Lifan Yuan
* Ministry of Posts and Communications
* Nine Gates Infantry Commander
* Provincial governor
* Provincial military commander
* Principles of the Constitution (1908)
* Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty
* Ejen
* Ta-Ching Government Bank
* Viceroys
* Zhili
* Shaan-Gan
* Liangjiang
* Huguang
* Sichuan
* Min-Zhe
* Liangguang
* Yun-Gui
* Three Northeast Provinces
* Zongli Yamen
* Diplomatic missions
* Dates of establishment of diplomatic relations

Military|

* Beiyang Army
* Eight Banners
* Ever Victorious Army
* Green Standard Army
* Imperial Guards
* Firearm Battalion
* Peking Field Force
* New Army
* Hushenying
* Shuishiying
* Wuwei Corps
* Yong Ying
* Chu Army
* Huai Army
* Xiang Army
* Navy

Special regions|

* Inner Asia
* Manchuria
* Mongolia
* Administrative divisions
* Tibet
* Golden Urn
* List of ambans
* Xinjiang
* Timeline
* General of Ili
* Taiwan
* Guest House of Imperial Envoys

Palaces &
mausoleums|

* Chengde Mountain Resort
* Forbidden City
* Hetu Ala
* Mukden Palace
* Old Summer Palace
* Summer Palace
* Eastern Qing tombs
* Western Qing tombs
* Fuling Mausoleum
* Zhao Mausoleum (Qing dynasty)
* Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Society &
culture|

* Booi Aha
* Changzhou School of Thought
* Complete Classics Collection of Ancient China
* Dibao
* Economy
* performance criticism
* Four Wangs
* History of Ming
* Kangxi Dictionary
* Kaozheng
* Literary inquisition
* Manchu Han Imperial Feast
* Peiwen Yunfu
* Pentaglot Dictionary
* Qing official headwear
* Qing poetry
* Complete Tang Poems
* Queue
* Researches on Manchu Origins
* Sacred Edict of the Kangxi Emperor
* Shamanism during the Qing dynasty
* Islam during the Qing dynasty
* Complete Library of the Four Treasuries
* Annotated Bibliography

Treaties

* Treaty of Kyakhta (1727)
* Treaty of Nerchinsk
* Unequal treaty
* Boxer Protocol
* Burlingame Treaty
* Chefoo Convention
* Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet
* Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory
* Convention of Peking
* Convention of Tientsin
* Li–Lobanov Treaty
* Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking
* Treaty of Aigun
* Treaty of the Bogue
* Treaty of Canton
* Treaty of Kulja
* Treaty of Nanking
* Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
* Treaty of Shimonoseki
* Treaty of Tarbagatai
* Treaty of Tientsin
* Treaty of Wanghia
* Treaty of Whampoa

Currency|

| Coinage|

* Zhiqian
* Kangxi Tongbao
* Qianlong Tongbao
* Hongqian
* Great Qing Copper Coin
* Great Qing Gold Coin

|

Paper money|

* Great Qing Treasure Note
* Hubu Guanpiao
* Banknotes of the Ta-Ching Government Bank

Other topics|

* Aisin Gioro
* Anti-Qing sentiment
* Canton System
* Chuang Guandong
* Draft History of Qing
* History of Qing (People's Republic)
* Imperial hunt of the Qing dynasty
* Legacy of the Qing dynasty
* Manchu people
* Names of the Qing dynasty
* New Qing History
* Timeline of late anti-Qing rebellions
* Treaty ports
* Willow Palisade

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template