Abstract: Originating as sacrificial offering in ancestral temples during the pre-Qin era, or prior to 221 B.C.E., “Zu” was only used for the imperial houses and the noble, far from the common, at the beginning. By the Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, or 220-589 C.E., it evolved into a daily food item primarily used for storage and consumption, serving as a link between the spiritual realm of temple immortals and the flavors of the mortal world. During the Wei-Jin period when food pickling technology gradually matured, Zu was utilized, as a symbol for food science and technology advancements in this era, by people of wider social classes in various contexts–from the imperial houses and nobles in Jiankang (modern Nanjing) to the common elders in the villages of Qilu (modern Shandong Province). This widespread use was rooted in the diverse evolution of its functions: besides its presence in sacrifices and daily diet, it also possessed special properties for health preservation and medical treatment. Furthermore, among the literati in Jiangzuo, the most prosperous areas of China along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Zu gradually transcended its physical attributes to acquire specific cultural symbolism, thus becoming an important carrier of the culinary culture of the time.

Key words: Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties (220-589 B.C.E.), Zu, agricultural science and technology, sacrifice, dietary culture