Qingming Festival and Traditional Chinese Cuisine: A Cultural Journey Through Ancestral Rituals

Abstract

The Qingming festival (Qingming jie, 清明节), a significant Chinese cultural event, has been widely studied for its agricultural, ancestral, and entertainment aspects. However, a comprehensive analysis of its food customs, their evolution, and their cultural significance across different regions of China remains a notable gap in existing literature. This study addresses this lacuna by employing document analysis to examine the origins, evolution, symbolic meanings, and cultural impact of Qingming festival food customs, with a particular focus on the consumption of eggs, wheat, bird-shaped foods, and green-colored foods. The research reveals three key findings previously underexplored in academic literature: (1) the festival's syncretic nature, incorporating elements from ancient festivals like the cold food festival (Hanshi jie, 寒食节) and the Shangsi festival (Shangsi jie, 上巳节); (2) the profound symbolism in traditional foods such as qingtuan (青团) and Zitui buns (Zitui bing, 子推饼), reflecting concepts of renewal, fertility, and filial piety; and (3) the adaptive capacity of these customs in modern society, maintaining cultural significance while evolving to meet contemporary needs. By establishing novel connections between Qingming food culture, ancestral veneration, and traditional Chinese medicine, this study provides the first comprehensive, cross-regional analysis of the festival's multifaceted role in Chinese culture. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of the Qingming Festival's culinary traditions and their role in preserving and adapting intangible cultural heritage in contemporary Chinese society.