Education
Why students in ancient China honoured teachers by gifting wild vegetables
Key Points
While it is common for Chinese people to hold banquets for teachers upon graduation as a way of honouring them – a traditional value – in ancient China, students expressed their respect for teachers differently: by presenting them with vegetables. The tradition began in the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). On the first day of school, students wore blue gowns and brought their teachers wild vegetables they had gathered themselves.
While it is common for Chinese people to hold banquets for teachers upon graduation as a way of honouring them – a traditional value – in ancient China, students expressed their respect for teachers differently: by presenting them with vegetables.
The tradition began in the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). On the first day of school, students wore blue gowns and brought their teachers wild vegetables they had gathered themselves. They then bowed reverently before memorial tablets honouring ancient...