During the Tang Dynasty, Lady Guo’s chef Deng Lian used Wuxing rice and white horse beans to create intricate pastries called “Touhua Ci” and a dish known as “Lingsha Guo” for her to offer at the Cuiyuan Hall.
This is recorded in the “Yunxian Miscellany,” which describes the process in a romantically poetic manner. Because of the names “Touhua Ci” and “Cuiyuan Hall,” it was mistakenly thought to be a ritual for flower gods. In reality, this was a beautiful misunderstanding.
What Is Cuiyuan Hall?
Lady Guo was the third-ranking cousin of Yang Guifei, who, after gaining favor, was titled Lady Guo and lived a lavish and extravagant lifestyle. She was involved in an affair with her cousin Yang Guozhong and was rumored to be a concubine of Emperor Xuanzong, accepting bribes and wielding significant power.
During the Mawei Slope Incident, she fled to Chen Cang with her family. Seeing no hope, she first killed her son and Yang Guozhong’s wife, and ultimately, she failed to commit suicide and died in prison.
In traditional Chinese culture, ancestral offerings were typically a male duty. However, Cuiyuan Hall was a name Lady Guo chose for herself, indicating her nonconformity and desire for power. This was very different from a young girl praying to flower gods for love.
Touhua Ci and Lingsha Guo: Two Distinct Dishes
When you read “pounding rice to make Touhua Ci and washing beans to make Lingsha Guo,” you might think of a common dessert combo.
In reality, these are two distinct dishes.
Why aren’t they red bean mochi? In ancient times, Chinese desserts weren’t served directly after being shaped; they underwent a steaming process.
These methods of preparing rice dishes still exist in various ritual rice cakes today.
In the Tang Dynasty, rice was typically steamed, and Wuxing rice would emit a strong aroma when steamed.
Wuxing rice was grown in Jiangnan and transported to Chang’an via the Grand Canal to Luoyang and then to Chang’an. The long journey and high transportation costs made it expensive, which is why it was notable that Touhua Ci was made from Wuxing rice.
Lingsha Guo
In the Qin Dynasty, there are records of using a meat soup with millet for offerings.
The “Jingchu Suishiji” states: “On the first day of the tenth month, millet soup, commonly known as the Qin New Year.”
Millet was a common staple and relatively inexpensive, but Lady Guo’s chef used white horse beans instead.
White horse beans, or chickpeas, were brought to China by horse-riding nomads and thus called white horse beans, making them an imported luxury.
Rice cakes and meat soups have been traditional offerings for ages, but Lady Guo’s chef used rare and high-quality ingredients. The original purpose of this account was not to depict a romantic ritual but to highlight Lady Guo’s extravagance.
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