Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    CHOPSTICKS play an important role in Chinese food culture. Chinese people have been using chopsticks, also known as kuaizi in Mandarin, as one of the main tablewares for more than 3,000 years.

    It was recorded in the “Book of Rites” (also known as “Liji”) that chopsticks were first used in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.). It was said that the last king of the dynasty, called Zhou, used ivory chopsticks. Historians estimate that the history of wood or bamboo chopsticks could date back to about 1,000 years earlier. Later, other types of chopsticks appeared and today the most popular chopsticks are often made of wood, plastic or stainless steel.

    With their long development in Chinese history, chopsticks have become not just tools for eating but symbols to show one’s wealth and social class. They have also become popular works of art collected by scholars and government officials.

    People also like to present artistic chopsticks as gifts for newlyweds, as the pronunciation of Chinese “kuaizi” can be a pun implying “starting a family very quickly.”

    As well as tablewares, chopsticks are a unique cultural item, which can even be used as hair accessories for trendy women.

    There are usually five kinds of chopsticks based on the various materials used to make them.

    1Bamboo and wood

    Chopsticks were originally made with bamboo, which is still popular today.

    Many ancient types of bamboo chopsticks can no longer be found on the market today. For example, one type of brown-stripe bamboo chopsticks, which were the most expensive and precious of all bamboo chopsticks, haven’t been used for hundreds of years.

    Different bamboo chopsticks have different characteristics. For example, a kind of chopsticks made with moso bamboo is said to be able to stand in the water. Therefore, ancient Chinese people used the chopsticks to tell fortunes. According to superstition, if the chopsticks could stand, things would go as predicted.

    Bamboo chopsticks are also popular for art collections, as they are easier to engrave.

    There are also various kinds of wood chopsticks. Among them, those made with ebony are the most expensive.

    Compared with bamboo chopsticks, wood chopsticks are much stronger, so they are more popular for daily use.

    2Metal

    There are different kinds of metal chopsticks made of such materials as bronze, silver, gold, iron and stainless steel.

    Except those of stainless steel, few people use metal chopsticks nowadays, but they were popular among wealthy people in more ancient times.

    Bronze chopsticks were normally for collections, as they were not healthy, according to traditional Chinese medicine. Gold chopsticks could only be used by imperial families or high-level officials.

    For many of the rich families during traditional times, silver chopsticks were the most popular tools for eating as they believed silver could detect toxins in dishes.

    Today, well-crafted silver chopsticks are highly valued by collectors.

    3Ivory and bone

    Some chopsticks are made of animal bones and parts. The most popular include those made of ivory and sea turtle shell. Today, most of these chopsticks, usually sculpted by skilled craftmen, are expensive art crafts.

    4Jade

    Before modern times, jade chopsticks were used by imperial families. The Palace Museum in Beijing has a wide collection of jade chopsticks, some of which were used by Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908).

    5Synthetic

    Synthetic chopsticks were invented in modern times. For example, in the 1930s, a type of “sailuluo” chopsticks were popular in Shanghai. The plastic chopsticks, which were made of melamine resin, looked very similar to ivory chopsticks but were sold at affordable prices. Many Chinese families today still use these chopsticks as they are cheap and easy to clean.

    No-nos in using chopsticks

    There are a few habits to avoid when using chopsticks. Chinese people usually don’t tap their bowls while eating, since such behavior used to be a practice for beggars. Also don’t insert chopsticks in a bowl vertically because that is a custom exclusively used in religious rituals as offerings to ancestors and gods. When eating, don’t bite your chopsticks, as it is not polite to the other people eating at the table.

    Where to buy

    There are several places where you can buy specialty chopsticks.

    Luohu Commercial City (near Shenzhen Railway Station), 25 Guangchang Road, Luohu District

    (罗湖区火车站广场路25号罗湖商业城)

    Metro: Luobao Line, Luohu Station (罗湖站), Exit B

    Curio City, Xinxiu Road, Shennan Road East, Luohu District

    (罗湖区深南东路新秀路古玩城)

    Metro: Shekou Line, Xinxiu Station (新秀站), Exit A

    Art Exhibition Center, Meiyuan Road, Sungang, Luohu District

    (罗湖区笋岗梅园路艺展中心)

    Buses: N16, 57, 209, 242