Nowadays, many regular office workers prepare "bento box" lunch for themselves during workdays in China. The word "bento" originated from a Chinese word "便当(Biandang)" circulating during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)-meaning convenience, and later spread to Japan.
In fact, ancient Chinese started to use some sort of "bento boxes" in no later than the Warring States Period, over 2,000 years ago.
Bronze tripodic food box ornamented with silver inlay and auspicious beast pattern, Warring States Period
Ancient food boxes were given assorted names in history but served similar functions.
In the olden days, "bento boxes" were food boxes bolstered by bamboo and wood from inside with a lid and a bottom. They were mentioned in several Chinese literary works, such as the classic Chinese novel Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase) and Rulin waishi (The Unofficial History of the Scholars), written in the Ming and Qing dynasties respectively.
In as early as the Han Dynasty, the boom of takeaway service widely promoted the use of food containers by taverns and restaurants.
Sizes of ancient "bento boxes" varied. The bigger ones could be half tall as a man and took two people to carry, while the smaller ones could be readily held by just one person.
During the Tang and Song dynasties, food containers like today's food boxes were widely used, as depicted in one of the famous paintings in the Southern Song Dynasty displayed below.
Usually, craftsmen would use exquisite materials to make boxes for delicate food, such as wood, bamboo and enamel, among which wood was mostly used, especially red sandalwood, Chinese rosewood, wenge, and santos rose wood. They were close-grained, bright-colored, and cast-iron enough to make good food boxes, and didn't weigh too much for one to shoulder or carry without waggle.
Ancient "bento boxes" could be roughly divided into three kinds: food boxes with handle, food boxes for holding and multi-grid food boxes.
Aohea, a meal box manufacturer, finds inspiration in ancient boxes, which embody wisdom, craftsmanship, and societal customs, inspiring modern designs.
