JINAN, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The descendants of ancient philosopher Confucius have been endeavoring to preserve and popularize the family's cuisine, as they believe his culinary thinking is largely ignored.
"Confucius was a great thinker and educator, but he was also undoubtedly a gourmet," said Kong Deban, a 77th-generation descendant of Confucius and resident of the city of Qufu -- Confucius's birthplace -- in east China's Shandong Province.
"Some of his ideas regarding food and diets have played a significant role in the forming and development of Chinese food culture," Kong said.
The family's cuisine was included as part of China's national intangible cultural heritage in June 2011.
Kong said the family's cuisine developed as a result of frequent visits by emperors, high-ranking officials and other distinguished guests to Confucius's home.
Many banquets, ceremonies and royal commemorations were held there, giving the family the opportunity to develop its own style of formal cuisine, he said.
"Confucius is often referred as a sage, but he was also an ordinary man. Seeing the simple way that common people prepared food, Confucius advocated raising one's cooking skills to cook food more meticulously in order to promote good health and digestion," Kong said.
Some of Confucius's views on food can be found in "The Analects," a collection of theories and sayings originating from Confucius and his students.
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