Yi Yin’s Governance, Cuisine & Wellness Banquet

Yi Yin’s Governance, Cuisine & Wellness Banquet

　　Yi Yin was a high-ranking minister in the early Shang Dynasty. Before taking office, he once farmed in the area around Xinting in our county. As recorded in Mencius: “Yi Yin farmed the fields of Youxin and delighted in the ways of Yao and Shun.” Yi Yin served as a minister for five Shang kings — Tang, Wai Bing, Zhong Ren, Tai Jia (Tang’s grandson), and Wo Ding — governing the state and its people for over 60 years. He was an adept ruler, wielded great influence, and laid the foundation for the Shang Dynasty’s 600-year reign. Yi Yin is China’s first recorded prime minister and imperial tutor, referred to by Mencius as “the sage who embraced duty.” He is also revered in Chinese culinary history as the “founder of cooking” and the “culinary sage.”

　　The Yi Yin’s Governance, Cuisine & Wellness Banquet embodies Yi Yin’s three core philosophies: governance, wellness, and cuisine. Yi Yin used the metaphor of cooking in a cauldron to advise King Tang on the state of the realm and the principles of leadership, advocating that “those above must be enlightened, and those below must be loyal,” and emphasizing the importance of respecting and employing the virtuous. The phrase “Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish” is a high compliment to him. The Tangye Jing laid the foundation for later developments in dietary therapy and wellness theory. Yi Yin’s theories on balancing the five flavors and other culinary principles have been passed down and used in imperial culinary classics through the ages. This banquet not only showcases the food and wellness culture of Yi Yin’s era but also reflects his political philosophy, offering a vivid recreation of ancient governance through cuisine and wellness.