There was a complete etiquette system in Shang and Zhou dynasties, and food ceremony was the basis of all etiquette. "The Book of Rites" said: "The beginning of husband's ceremony is the beginning of diet", and the catering etiquette system has formed a quite complete system in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The feudal system and patriarchal clan system were also formed during this period. The grades of these two systems are very clear, and the food ceremony has detailed regulations, such as how to eat, what to eat, even the way to eat, and the number of tableware.
Before the Northern and Southern Dynasties, people in China sat on the floor, and the small tables for sharing food were very short, which made it inconvenient to share food. Poor people don't need tables. Generally, they only use clay pots to cook a dish, and everyone eats together around a pot. Northern nomads, freezing in winter, can't stand sitting on the ground to eat, so they sit on stools and chairs to eat. This is called Hu Chuang Hu Chair. Most of the northern dynasties were Hu people's regimes, and the royal family in Sui and Tang dynasties had Hu people's blood, so they learned Hu beds and chairs. It's convenient to sit in a chair, it won't oppress your legs, and it's much more comfortable than sitting on the floor.
Political factors and the influence of foreign culture made the catering culture in Tang Dynasty extremely prosperous. The original Xiao Mu box could not hold much food, so the table came into being. However, according to the previous dining system, there will still be a situation of one person, one case and one table, which is simply unbearable for ordinary families, which has prompted the transformation from the dining system to the dining system.