Arts Studies and Criticism

Based on the book "On Salt and Iron", this paper studies some of the ideas of the upper strata of society in the Han Dynasty on the governance of the state and society from the perspective of the class differences of food culture. The book is evidence of the obvious class differences in the Han Dynasty, and by documenting the policy debates in the Han Dynasty's Salt and Iron Conference, it clearly reflects the Han Dynasty's upper class's control of important means of production and social materials, as well as the process of building a governance model of "unity of ritual and law" through the combination of economic control (Legalist means) and cultural stratification (Confucian ritual system), and reflects the governance idea of the Han Dynasty's upper class to consolidate its rule. While this approach has strengthened power in the short term, it has created the potential for social unrest by exacerbating the unfair distribution of resources. Understanding the class differences of food culture in the Han Dynasty is helpful for understanding the national ecology and economic and social development of the Han Dynasty.