中国范儿 70 筷子：这个餐具绝没那么简单！

As a unique tableware item of the Chinese nation, chopsticks boast a history of more than 3,000 years. They are the crystallization of Chinese wisdom as well as a symbol of the oriental civilization.

Chopsticks, also known as “zhu” in ancient China, are usually made of bamboo, wood, bone, porcelain, metal and other materials. Why do Chinese people eat with chopsticks? First of all, it’s because many Chinese food are served hot, making it necessary for the diner to use a tool to avoid direct contact with hot food. More importantly, it has a lot to do with cookery. Archaeological discoveries show that the “spoon” appeared in China about 7000 years ago, then came the “bone forks” over 4,000 years ago. The “ spoon” of the Western Zhou period (c. 1046 – 771 BC) were capable of cutting and scooping. When these cooking utensils could no longer meet the requirements of the developing culinary culture, chopsticks emerged. Chinese food which are usually served hot and in smaller pieces such as stir-fry food, hot pots and noodles are more convenient to eat with chopsticks.

Eating with chopsticks is a real trick for first-time learners. Holding two chopsticks with one hand, you have to pick up the food and send it into your mouth through flexible and coordinated movements of your fingers. The chopsticks, however, will become an extension of your fingers once you master the skill. They enable you to take almost all types of food.

“One more person means one more pair of chopsticks.” Though simple and ordinary, chopsticks bear the inheritance of the Chinese culture for the nation’s people. The sound of a mother washing chopsticks under running water, and the taste of familiar food from a chopstick’ eating end are all reminiscent of home for Chinese people.

Some chopsticks are not only an eating tool, but also a kind of art. Chopsticks can take on themselves a variety of art forms such as inscriptions, paintings, pyrography, inlays and carvings. Small as they are, chopsticks can pass on Chinese civilization, carrying forward different forms of unique Chinese culture.

The world becomes colorful thanks to diversified civilizations, and the cultural tensions created by differences possess a unique form of charm. Chinese culture has always been there, showing its unique charm and openness. With 1.8 billion users, chopsticks are by no means just a kind of “stick-shaped cutlery”.

来源：中国网

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