Talk about history: Nansha cake and the weiban system

Hebei special snack: Nansha cake

During the Qing Dynasty, our country had a vast territory, and in order to safeguard the unity of the motherland, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty established a policy of peace and pro-feudalism in the north to bring together the upper echelons of ethnic minorities in the frontier areas to achieve the goal of "not setting up border defenses and using the Mongolian ministries as barriers." In order to implement the policy of peace and pro-feudalism, the Qing government implemented the annual shift system in Mongolia, which was a form of the ancient Chinese pilgrimage system, and the Mongol princes had to come to visit every year, which can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty.

During the Kangxi Dynasty, when the city of acne (smallpox) was prevalent, the Qing government stipulated: "Those who have experienced pox in the inner and outer Zasak Mongol princes, Taiji, etc., all come to Beijing in the annual shift, and those who have not had pox stop at Reheqin." (ps: Kangxi is smallpox and survive to become emperor) Mongol princes who have acne can come to Beijing to see, and those who do not have acne are forbidden to come to Beijing. Then the Mongolian princes who could not come to the capital in the annual class could go to Mulan to follow the siege, so there was a supplementary form of the annual class, the system of the wei class.

The weiban system mainly includes: giving feasts to summer resorts and Mulan hunting. Feast in the Ten Thousand Trees Garden at the summer resort, also known as the Big Yurt Feast. Now there are still many yurts in the Wanshu Garden of the Summer Resort, and everyone has the opportunity to come and see it in person, and Chengde welcomes you.

After the end of the activities in the mountain villa, kangxi would go to Mulan with the Mongol princes after the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to historical records: "The Kangxi Emperor went to Pingquan to hunt, eat and praise, and then made a tribute." Kangxi: "I am the emperor, and I speak for the Nansha Cake!"

Nansha cake is stuffed with sugar, green and red silk, melon seeds and walnut kernels, and wrapped in flour buckwheat and noodles. It's almost the same as the current Wuren mooncake filling.

Kangxi felt that the Nansha cake tasted good and could be stored for a long time, so he ordered the imperial kitchen of the summer resort to make a large number of Nansha cakes and provide dry food for the Mongolian princes who traveled back and forth. It is said that at that time, the imperial kitchen of the villa was too busy to come, so he asked the local restaurant to help, so that Nansha cake became a popular food in the Chengde area.