Chinese Chopstick Culture

Representative of Chinese culture, an essential during meal time and can be given
as gifts, or a unique handcraft. On the right hand, hold it with a thumb with the help of
a forefinger pinching its partner supported by the 3 other fingers. I bet you can guess
what I am going to talk about today.

The Chinese Chopsticks Culture has always been a hot topic among people from all
over the globe. Whenever we see a pair of chopsticks, the first thing that will come to
our mind is Chinese culture. Why is that so? It is because chopsticks were originally
invented by ancient Chinese back in the neolithic age which was from 7,000 BC to
6,000 BC. Furthermore, chopsticks were introduced as “Kuaizi” in the Ming Dynasty
and the name is still used today among the Chinese community.

For your information, the first pair of chopsticks were said to be made out of animal
bones, and eventually, chopsticks are made out of many types of materials nowadays.
For instance, chopsticks are made out of bamboo, wood, ivory, crystal, jade, gold,
silver, and even rare materials such as dragon horns, turtle shells as well as the bone
of peacocks. The chopsticks usually come along with antique engravings, paintings,
and pyrography or you can even carve a short line of the poem on the chopsticks to
show your love to someone.

The normal length of chopsticks is around 9 inches to 10 inches long. The end of
the chopsticks is usually round which symbolizes heaven whereas the other end of the
chopsticks is square which symbolizes the earth. As a Chinese saying goes, “You tian
you di” which means there is heaven, there is earth and this is where the taboos about
chopsticks come from.

Ladies and gentlemen, do you know that there are a few chopsticks taboos that the
Chinese community believes? Firstly, the Chinese believe that placing the chopsticks
of different lengths on the dining table will bring misfortune as it represents the position
of the coffin of the dead people as what the ancients believed. Secondly, knocking the
chopsticks on the side of the bowl is also seen as taboo in Chinese culture because
the action is the same as how beggars ask for food. Back in the old days, if any children
knocked on the bowls with a pair of chopsticks, the parents would not hesitate to teach
them a lesson by knocking their heads with the chopsticks. I can’t deny that harsh
parenting is applied in the Chinese household most of the time. This is because
Chinese parents think that table manners are extremely vital in maintaining the
children’s discipline at home.

Next, chopsticks are not supposed to be left vertically on the rice during meal time
since this represents the ritual of burning incense in public as an offering to death. If
you notice during the hungry ghost festival, known as “Yu Lan Jie” or Malaysians
usually address it as ‘Qi Ye Ban’ which means the middle of the 7th month in the
Chinese Lunar calendar, Chinese people will pray to the “good brothers and sisters”
by the roadside as they do not want to invite them into the house. During the praying
ritual, food and fruits are placed beside the incense as offerings. During ancient times,
people would actually sacrifice their children as offerings to the death.

Other than that, if someone drops their chopsticks in the middle of the meal, it is
considered disrespectful as the elderly believe that it will disturb the buried ancestors.
Last but not least, giving 2 pairs of similar and perfect chopsticks as gifts to a newlywed
is a blessing to a blessed and happy marriage for them. This is because as we all
know, chopsticks are “Kuaizi” in mandarin which has an almost similar pronunciation
as happiness in mandarin which is “Kuaile”.

These taboos are often tagged along with some spooky creepy urban legends. For
example, there is an urban legend that enables people to travel to the world of death.
All you need to do is just close your eyes and count to ten, and then start to tap on the
side of the bowl with a pair of chopsticks until you see someone walking past you. To
identify if the person is a human being or a spirit, you can look in between your inner
thigh facing upside down. If you can see someone without legs, then good job- your
ritual is a success.

Then, if someone is possessed, you can take a pair of red chopsticks to clasp on
their middle toe hardly. I repeat it must be red. The spirit that possessed the human
will escape from the body as it is painful and red is known to be a colour of bravery.
So, it gives energy to the victim. However, this is all just urban legends, and please do
not try it by yourself.

In my opinion, chopsticks are essential in most of the Chinese households as we are

used to using chopsticks for every meal. I think that eating with chopsticks will help me
to digest my food easier. At the same time, it is a skill to learn to impress people
because not everyone can master the skills of using chopsticks properly. Thus,
Chinese children are taught to use chopsticks from a young age as it will be an
embarrassment for the family if they do not master that skill properly. However, I think
that shouldn’t be an embarrassment as everyone is special in their own way. People
shouldn’t be judged based on their appearances, skills they know, or even their family
background. Finally, I highly believe that chopsticks culture is something everybody
from all around the globe must know because of its endless taboos and interesting
urban legends, and even the tales about chopsticks that have been told from
generation to generation.

To conclude, chopsticks can represent many things and important events in our
lives. Many rules and regulations must be obeyed in order to not go against the law of
chopsticks. I hope that the culture of chopsticks brings many astonishing moments for
you in this short period.