Held on the eve of Spring Festival, the reunion dinner, also known as “Nian Ye Fan” (年夜饭), is considered the most important feast of the entire year in China. With a history of over four thousand years, the event boasts traditional values such as family ties and harmony, though more modern options are becoming available to enrich this major gathering.
According to the Records of Jinchu, China’s encyclopedia of folk customs during the 6th and 7th centuries, the reunion dinner is usually held in or near the home of the most senior member of the family, while all family members work together to prepare a feast.
However, this situation is beginning to change, as more and more Chinese prefer to eat out for New Year, with many even using a mobile app to order cooking services online.
“Our family has decided to eat out for the Spring Festival so that we don't have to put so much effort into cooking, and can spend more quality time together,” said Wang Jiajun, a 67-year-old Beijing-based retiree, who added that eating out has become an accessible and affordable option for the reunion dinner.
Echoing Wang, Su Zeyue, a 27-year-old engineer living in Yangzhou, noted that his family has ordered a chef to come and cook their dinner this year. All he has to do is use a mobile app to send the chef a menu specifying his needs.
“With the advancement of technology, as well as the improvement of life quality, more modern elements have been introduced to the reunion dinner, making it a combination of tradition and innovation,” said Su.
Eating out for New Year
“Most customers reserved a table at least four months in advance, so our restaurant no longer has any spaces available for this year's reunion dinner,” explained a member of staff from Beijing-based restaurant Quanjude.
Featuring its trademark Peking Roast Duck, Quanjude is a favorite New Year option. According to the restaurant’s social media page, eight reunion dinner menus are available to choose from, with each containing at least 12 dishes, while the cheapest costs 1,888 RMB.
High-end options are also popular. For instance, the Beijing Hilton has launched a series of reunion dinner options, with prices ranging from 2,688 RMB to 7,888 RMB. At the time of press, many of these options were already sold out.
According to the Shanghai Cuisine Association, two months before the Spring Festival, over 90 percent of local restaurants had already been reserved for the reunion dinner, even though prices had risen 20 percent year on year.
“Just a few decades ago, eating out for the reunion dinner was uncommon. There were fewer restaurants back then, and most people considered eating out an unaffordable luxury,” said Wang.
According to statistics from the China Cuisine Association, the country was home to less than 120,000 restaurants in 1978 when China began its reform and opening up, compared with 8 million by the end of 2017. In 1978, Chinese people spent less than 6 RMB on catering annually, while that figure stood at 2,852 RMB in 2017.
With more restaurants offering their own spin on the reunion dinner, people now have more personalized options for the New Year feast. Though traditional Spring Festival dishes, including fish and dumplings, are still the most popular options, Western and fusion dishes have also gained a place in the hearts of Chinese people. Western-style restaurants, including Pizza Hut, have also launched reunion dinner menus, adding foreign elements to the traditional celebration.
Festival delivery online
In addition to eating out, the advancement of internet technologies has also made it possible to order half-finished dishes online, or even invite a chef to help out at home.
A quick search online using the keywords “half-finished reunion dinner” generates over 2,500 results on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao. Many prestigious restaurants, including Quanjude, sell ingredients and half-prepared reunion dinner packages online, with prices ranging from 150 RMB to 9,990 RMB.
A door-to-door dinner service is another option this year. From the comfort of their own homes, Chinese people can now design a personalized reunion dinner menu from a mobile app, as well as choosing the chef they want to cook it, for as little as 1,888 RMB.
According to a recent report released by Meituan, China’s online platform for ordering food, about 300 million Chinese people ordered food online in 2017, spending over 204 billion RMB.
“For those who want to continue the tradition of spending the New Year at home, the advancement of technologies has provided us new reunion dinner options. You can enjoy the cooking process without too much effort, or get a chef in to do it for you, which is great,” said Su.
