MUZIChinese Matrix
Set-Course Banquets · FFET10427
A grand banquet of Manchu and Han dishes served in groups, with a historical menu recorded in Yangzhou.
Banquets served as a fixed sequence of many courses.
The Manchu-Han feast generally refers to a large banquet combining Manchu and Han dishes, served in groups. A historical Yangzhou menu records a banquet called Manhan xi, listing soups, roasted and boiled meats, pastries, cold and hot dishes, and fruit. A Qing court origin is a circulating account; according to a secondhand report, a researcher notes that Qing regulations used the terms Manchu banquet and Han banquet, but not quanxi, or full feast.
The Manchu-Han feast is a large banquet with many courses combining Manchu and Han dishes. The historical Yangzhou menu called Manhan xi has five groups and lists ingredients including bird's nest, sea cucumber, shark fin, and bear paw. This record does not identify the banquet as a Qing court feast or give a total of 108 dishes.1,2
The historical Yangzhou passage recording Manhan xi gives no year for the banquet. A later report connects the menu with the period of Qianlong's southern tours, but the original passage does not supply that dating. A secondhand account also describes later revivals of the feast in Hong Kong.1,2,3
The historical menu is set in Yangzhou, Jiangsu. Later accounts also describe Manchu-Han feasts held in Hong Kong; these settings do not establish a Qing court origin.1,2,3
The historical Yangzhou menu groups dishes that include soups, braises, clear broths, roasted meats, pastries, cold and hot dishes, and fruit. The record lists only the groups of dishes, so it does not establish a uniform procedure for every feast.1,2
Popular explanations present the feast as an expression of elaborate hospitality and a meeting of Manchu and Han cuisines. Its supposed Qing court origin is disputed: according to a secondhand report, a researcher notes that Qing regulations used Manchu banquet and Han banquet, but not quanxi, or full feast.2
The name Manchu-Han feast became a byword for a grand banquet and was also used to explain the origins of local banquet sets. A local culture and tourism account traces some eight-bowl sets to the feast's eight lower treasures. This is a later attribution, not a dated early record.2,4
A tale says that Yangzhou officials presented a Manchu-Han feast to Kangxi during a southern tour. This is a circulating banquet story. The available historical Yangzhou menu does not recount the event, so the tale does not establish a Qing court origin.
Told in: Retold in a secondhand account of popular stories; the tale is set in Yangzhou.
Another tale links the Manchu-Han feast to Kangxi's 66th birthday, claiming about 300 dishes across six banquets. These banquet and dish counts belong to the tale. The same secondhand account reports a researcher's objections to the terminology and counts.
Told in: Retold in a secondhand account of popular court-banquet stories, without supporting original Qing court documents in the available material.
