Ethnic Communication,Interaction,and Integration in the Food Culture Change of the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Region Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties and Its Characteristics
The Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou re-gion is the best example of ethnic diversity and cu-linary richness in China.The Han,Tibetan,Qiang,Yi,Miao,Dai,and other ethnic groups have communicated,interacted,and integrated here,not only developing their own food cultures but also contributing to the formation and develop-ment of a regional food community.The food cul-ture in the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou region has shown to be both historically deep and culturally complex,encompassing diverse categories.Since the Ming and Qing dynasties,the frequent ex-change and integration of food cultures among the ethnic groups in this region have mainly manifested in three ways:1)Ingredients:This region's ethnic groups not only introduced food ingredients such as corn,potatoes,sweet potatoes,and chili peppers origi-nally from South America,but also exchanged in-gredients among themselves,especially introducing ingredients common to Han cuisine into the high-altitude ethnic areas,such as eggplants,lettuce,pears,walnuts,and apples into e.g.the Kang-Ti-betan regions,while Sichuan salt was brought into the ethnic minority regions of Yunnan and Guizhou.This natural interchange has mutually enriched the culinary materials available in the re-gion.2)Food and Cooking Techniques:Research indicates that the tea,liquor,and various dishes in this region,as well as their production tech-niques,bear the imprint of ethnic communication,interaction,and integration.For example,during the Ming and Qing dynasties,a large amount of Pu'er tea from Yunnan was concentrated in Xiaguan of Dali before being transported to the southwest.The trade of Sichuan tea also played an important role in the interaction and communication between Han and Tibetan peoples.And the ethnic groups in this region have produced different tea beverages using tea leaves as raw materials.In terms of dishes,the exchange and integration of recipes and cooking techniques among the ethnic groups in this region have led to innovative food preparations,enriching the regional cuisine.3)As for dietary customs of the various ethnic groups,they additionally have been influenced by population mobility,commercial development,and ethnic coexistence.For instance,Han migrants who entered west of Kangding adopted Tibetan di-etary practices,such as eating Zanba and Buttered Tea,while also introducing Han festivals such as the Spring Festival and Dragon Boat Festival,cau-sing the Tibetans to accept some Han dietary cus-toms.Accounts further report that since the Ming and Qing dynasties,the multiethnic exchange and integration of food cultures in this region have shown three significant characteristics:1)The pri-mary channels for communication and integration have been population migration and commercial trade;2)the mode of this communication and in-tegration mainly has been two-way interactions and mutual influence;3)the outcome of these exchan-ges has been an increase of harmonious coexistence of diversity and commonality in the food cultures of the ethnic groups in this region.This natural dy-namic has driven the evolution and flourishing of regional cuisines—Sichuan,Yunnan,and Guizhou—further promoting a diversified unity,richness,and prosperity of Chinese food culture and Chinese cuisine.It can,therefore,be argued that this cross-pollination of cooking styles has made a unique contribution to consolidating the consciousness of the Chinese national community and building the Chinese national community.
Ming and Qing Dynasties on-wardsSichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou regionethnic communication,interaction,and integrationfood culture
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