The Analects state, "He who exercises gov­ernment by means of his virtue may be compared to the North Polar Star, which retains its posi­tion, and all other stars always turn towards it." The Emperor was known as the Son of Heaven, and his throne was always placed on the North side of the Hall facing South. The highest seat is therefore situated in the North facing South. Consequently, in arranging seats we have to take the following into consideration:— (a) A K'angmay be considered as a layman's throne. A "Long table" is a narrow high table on which offerings to God or to ancestors are placed. When there is either one of these two things in the room, the side on which it is placed is taken for granted as the North, regardless of its true direction. (6) When both are absent from the room, the entrance is always regarded as the South.

At a round dinner table the seat of the guest of honour is on the North and that of the host opposite to him on the South. The left side is considered higher than the right. The reason is not known, but it is presumably due to the fact that the sun rises in the East which is on the left-hand side looking from North to South. To the left side of the guest of honour then, is the next seat in rank and to his right the third, and so on. Those who sit near the host are either minor guests or his very intimate friends.

In the South the seating arrangement amongst the merchants is different, the seat directly opposite the host being considered the next above the host himself. The guest of honour is seated on the left of the host two seats away, and the next in rank goes to the corresponding seat on the right.

Before the guests take their seats chopsticks, spoons, wine cups, saucers, and bone plates are arranged systematically in front of each seat. A set of these articles is supplied to each person, exclusively for his own use throughout the meal.

With the exception of four cold dishes which are placed on the table before the arrival of the guests, all the dishes are served one at a time, each new dish being placed in the centre of the table. As soon as the second dish is brought in, the first should be taken away. Present-day requirements call for the provision of a few extra spoons, which are placed in convenient positions on the table for the purpose of pick­ing up food from the dishes in preference to one's own chopsticks. Two varieties of large spoons are used, the porcelain ones for soup and the silver ones for other food. This new ar­rangement meets with general approval, as, before its introduction, food used to be picked up from the main dish with the aid of chopsticks and transferred directly to the mouth.

When all the guests have arrived, the order to "warm" the wine is given. The wine com­monly used in China is Shaohsing or rice wine, and it must first be warmed. When the wine is brought in, the host announces the name of the guest of honour, and fills his cup with wine, indicating his seat at the same time. This is repeated with the second and the third guests, and so on, until all the cups are filled except that of the host himself. To be polite the guest of honour should return the compliment by filling the host's cup.

When everyone is seated, the host takes his seat also. He then raises his wine cup saying Ch'ing meaning "please". All the guests will then drink. After the drink the host again utters Ch'ing with a pair of chopsticks in his hand. The guest of honour then takes up his pair of chopsticks and begins to eat. His action will be followed by the other guests. Generally the host will wait until all his friends have had their share, as it is considered bad manners on his part to begin too soon. To enliven the pro­ceedings the above ceremony may be repeated each time a new dish is served.

When the first main dish is brought in, usually sharks' fins, the host will request the guests to drain their cups saying Kan Pei literally, "Dry cup", or simply Ch'ing. The guest of honour should now take the oppor­tunity to thank the host for his hospitality.

If it happens to be a special occasion, such as a wedding banquet, and there are a large num­ber of guests and many tables, the host will visit every table with a cup of wine in his hand and drink with the guests. The first main dish is served only in the presence of the host. This rite is called "presenting" . A big banquet has three presentings, but, as a rule, the ordinary wedding feast has only one. Guests take the opportunity to thank the host and drink with him immediately after the presenting ceremony. The return of compliment is called Ch'ou After this, due ceremony is considered to have been observed, and all are at liberty to enjoy the repast at leisure.

Should, however, as often happens, any of the guests show some hesitation in helping him­self, the host will attempt to remedy the situa­tion by saying Sui Pienwhich means "please do not stand on ceremony". Except on formal occasions a Chinese dinner is by no means a staid affair. The average Chinese is not devoid of a sense of humour, and can be counted upon not to miss any opportunity of contributing towards the "fun" of the evening. One of the ways of putting life into the party is by means of the finger game. No compulsion is employed: the loser is penalized by having to drink either a cup for each individual match, or a cup for the best of three matches. These matches may be played between any two guests, but on certain occasions the host plays with each guest in turn, and each guest should do likewise.

To the foreigner, it may seem strange that the loser, and not the winner, should have the pleasure of drinking, but, if careful reflection be given to the matter, it will be agreed that the Chinese are wise in that their viewpoint, in this as in many other instances, is diametrically opposed to the Western.

It is said that as soon as the wine is in, restraint is out, so once the flow of wine has been thus started, it is naturally to be expected to lead to a certain amount of conviviality and hilarity during the rest of the evening's pro­ceedings. We often wonder whether foreign cocktails are intended to serve the same purpose.

Following the main dishes, which always end with a large bowl of duck soup and a fish, rice and pastries are served, and, at the same time, the supply of wine is cut off. As a matter of fact, the rice is ldom touched, and the reason is obvious. The fruit item, which is usually very welcome, is partaken of in an ad­joining room. At this point hot towels are handed round—a Chinese custom which serves a double purpose in that it replaces the modern finger bowl, and acts, at the same time, as a signal to mark the end of a perfect evening.

The following rules governing table manners are translated from Chapter 1 of the old Chinese Classic — Book of Etiquette — written about 3,000 years ago.

Don'ts at a Chinese Dinner Table

1.Do not roll the rice into a ball.

2.Do not bolt your food.

3.Do not swill your soup.

4.Do not eat audibly.

5.Do not crunch bones with your teeth.

6.Do not replace fish and meat which you have already tasted.

7.Do not throw bones to dogs.

8.Do not make a grab at what you want.

9.Do not spread out the rice to cool.

10.Do not draw particles of food in the soup through your mouth; use chopsticks for this purpose.

11.

Do not stir or add condiments to the so;' in the common bowl.

12. Do not pick your teeth.

Fig. i

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

How to Hold Chopsticks

Chopsticks are made use of to pick up morsels of food from a dish, and to aid in the transfer of rice from a bowl to the mouth. They are always in pairs, each stick being about 9 inches long, and they are so held in the hand that one is fixed in position while the other is movable. The correct way of holding them is as follows:—

Hold the fixed one in your hand as in Figure 1 opposite, making it firm by pressure between the inside of the thumb and the end of the fourth finger. Then hold the other, the movable one, as you would hold a pen, but in a more upright position, as in Figure 2.

Use the middle finger to perform the move­ments necessary, the tip of the thumb acting as a pivot. In this way the two sticks can be used to act as a pair of pincers for taking up the food.

Figure 3 shows the correct way of holding the two sticks.

How to Hold Rice Bowls

Hold the rice bowl with your left hand as shown in Figure 4. To get a firm grip the thumb should be placed on the upper rim and the first two fingers on the bottom of the bowl.

Figure 5 shows the position of the elbows while the right hand holds the chopsticks and the left hand holds the bowl.

Figure 6 indicates the correct position just at the point of eating. Certain definite rules are observed in regard to the manipulating of chopsticks and the rice bowl. Even the left-handed child is taught to hold his chopsticks with the right hand and the rice bowl in the left. On no account should the chopsticks be em­ployed to shovel the rice from the bowl into the mouth; nor should the bowl be moved unduly. Only a gentle turn of the chopsticks by wrist, action is needed to transfer the rice from the bowl to the mouth. The elbows should be kept as close as possible to the body, and should not be pointed outwards as they are likely to annoy your neighbours.

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