Explore the history of food delivery in ancient China, from Han dynasty elites to Song dynasty 'xian han' riders and royal takeaway orders. Details on methods, warming plates (wen pan), and its role in social life.
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Today, we can easily order food from apps and enjoy it at home, thanks to smartphones and e-payments. But long before modern vehicles and advanced technology, ancient China had already developed a rough version of food delivery services — a practice that evolved and flourished across dynasties, leaving traces in historical records and artworks.
Historical records show that as early as the Han dynasty (206BC-220), takeaway food from restaurants already existed. During this period, an emperor once asked his officials about the living conditions of ordinary people. To conceal the fact that famine had struck the city, one official deliberately bought a bowl of meat soup from a market, presented it to the emperor, and claimed it was what commoners ate every day.
Historians believe this episode is clear evidence of the existence of takeaway services in the Han period.
At that time, elites in major cities were said to buy takeaway food as gifts to show respect and build social ties, making takeaway a symbol of social interaction rather than just a convenient meal option.
By the Tang dynasty (618-907), food delivery services had expanded to ordinary urban residents. Their takeaways tended to be food that was easy to store and carry, such as various flatbreads and dried meats. In some cases, food was even delivered to the emperor's palace by sedan chair, reflecting the widespread acceptance of food delivery across different social classes.
However, this earlier food delivery culture took shape most clearly and thrived during the Song dynasty (960-1279). By then, curfews had been lifted, and night markets and the restaurant economy flourished in cities, laying a solid foundation for the development of food delivery.
Historical records suggest that Song emperors even ordered food from outside to signal frugality and project closeness to ordinary people. They often sent eunuchs to the market to buy whatever they craved, sometimes offering tips to the delivery personnel — a practice not unlike today's food delivery tips.
A vivid proof of Song dynasty food delivery can be found in Chinese painter Zhang Zeduan's famous painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, now housed at The Palace Museum in Beijing. The painting depicts a man who has just left a shop, hurrying along, wearing an apron, with two food boxes in his left hand and eating utensils in his right. This figure is widely seen as one of the earliest visual portrayals of a food delivery man in China.
In the Song dynasty, delivery riders were known as xian han, literally meaning "idle men". They often lingered outside restaurants, helping customers shop and delivering food and other items. Unlike today's delivery riders who ride electric bicycles, ancient xian han got around on foot, by boat, or in a sedan chair. Even Emperor Huizong of Song set up a dedicated royal delivery rider post within the palace, highlighting the importance of food delivery in royal life.
Ancient food delivery could be ordered in three main ways. The first was to send a servant to a restaurant to place an order, after which an xian han would deliver the dishes to the home. The second was a long-term arrangement with a restaurant, which would deliver meals to the customer's home on agreed dates. The third was door-to-door selling: after the Song dynasty, entertainment venues such as gambling houses and theatres became more common and drew dense crowds, so restaurants would dispatch vendors to peddle food door-to-door.
The Song dynasty even developed its own "takeaway technology" to preserve heat and presentation: the wen pan, or warming plate. Crafted from two layers of porcelain with a hollow core, it could be filled with hot water so that dishes stayed warm during delivery. Instead of today's thin plastic and paper boxes, historical takeaway containers were often sturdier and more refined, made from wood or bamboo and sometimes finished in enamel or lacquer.
The food delivery habit did not fade with the Song dynasty. Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) rulers were also known to order food from outside restaurants. One historical record says the Xuande Emperor, who once traveled incognito to experience farm work, bought takeaway on his return and shared it with his entourage. This encounter sharpened his sense of farmers' hardship and nudged him towards implementing tax relief.
Even China's last emperor, Puyi, reportedly kept a telephone reserved specifically for ordering food delivery, showing that the tradition of takeaway persisted even in the late Qing dynasty and early modern era.
In the modern era, food delivery in China was rebuilt around digital platforms and algorithms. By 2025, the food delivery market had topped 1.8 trillion yuan (US$262 billion), with more than 10 million riders plying their trade on the streets. The sheer scale has made food delivery one of the country's most prominent city industries — but it has also become one of its most contested. As discounts fuel relentless competition, public attention has sharpened on issues such as patchy food hygiene and the human cost of speed, from punishing working hours to alleged minimum-wage breaches.
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Editor: Crystal H
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