Confucius family cuisine [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Confucius family cuisine consists of a variety of dishes that were initially prepared to entertain ancient China's emperors and distinguished guests when they visited the home of Confucius, a great Chinese philosopher and educator born during the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) in Qufu, Jining, East China's Shandong province.

The cuisine is an integral part of Chinese food culture and has been well preserved due to the important role that Confucius and his thoughts played in ancient Chinese culture. In 2011, it was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

The six cold side dishes include beef shank, jellyfish, spiced duck tongue, and celery. [Photo/WecChat account: jnwhlyj]

The six cold side dishes in Confucius family cuisine are named after the "Six Arts", which are disciplines that ancient Chinese students were required to master, such as archery, calligraphy, mathematics, and music. The six appetizers include jellyfish salad, spiced duck tongue, beef shank, and conch jelly.

A Confucius family dish made of the skin of sea bass is named after Kylin, a unicorn in Chinese mythology, because it looks like the animal's scales. [Photo/WeChat account: jnwhlyj]

A stew that is unique to banquets held by the Confucius Mansion is made of chicken, duck, and pork knuckle. It needs to be stewed for eight hours before being served. [Photo/WeChat account: jnwhlyj]

A dessert in Confucius family cuisine is made of ginkgo, pear, and red dates. It has a Chinese character "Shi" which means poetry, emblazoned on the surface. [Photo/WeChat account: jnwhlyj]