@article{ART003263816},
author={LEESEUNGSU},
title={The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table},
journal={Journal of Manchurian Studies},
issn={1738-3668},
year={2025},
number={40},
pages={253-291}
TY - JOUR
AU - LEESEUNGSU
TI - The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table
JO - Journal of Manchurian Studies
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 40
PB - The Manchurian Studies Association
SP - 253
EP - 291
SN - 1738-3668
AB - This study examines the production and consumption of honey within the Qing imperial household. Whereas ginseng, pearls, and sable furs—long known as the “three treasures of Manchuria”—have been the subject of scholarly attention, honey has been largely overlooked despite its invaluable use as both a daily commodity and a vital element of palace life. In particular, the activities of the mihu (蜜戶)—specialized corvée households under the Imperial Household Department responsible for honey production—and the court’s patterns of use have remained largely unexplored in systematic research.
To address the gap in research, this paper traces the full journey of honey from its sites of origin to the imperial table, clarifying the systems of production and uses that sustained it. The first section reconstructs the origins, organization, and tributary practices of mihu households in Mukden, Butha Ula, and Zhili. The second section turns to consumption, analyzing how honey, once collected at the Imperial Palace in Beijing from various production sites, was used within the imperial household as part of ancestral rituals as well as a staple condiment in everyday foods and beverages. Special attention here is given to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when the expansion of the efen dere (餑餑桌, “bobo table”) banquet culture under the Jiaqing emperor dramatically increased the culinary demand for honey.
Honey played far more than a culinary role as a “foodstuff” in the Qing imperial households; it linked the culinary with shamanistic rituals, medicinal purposes, and everyday life. Moreover, unlike ginseng, pearls, and furs—commodities often monetized and traded for silver—the Qing imperial households' “liquid gold” circulated almost exclusively within the palace, revealing a distinct pattern of imperial consumption. By situating honey within the broader network of butha industries(布特哈: Hunting and gathering industries practiced in the Manchuria), this research highlights an overlooked aspect of Qing resource management and understanding of material and cultural life in the Manchu court.
KW - Manchu;Qing Imperial House;honey;mihu(honey tribute households;;efen dere(“bobo table”)
DO -
UR -
ER -
LEESEUNGSU. (2025). The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table. Journal of Manchurian Studies, 40, 253-291.
LEESEUNGSU. 2025, "The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table", Journal of Manchurian Studies, no.40, pp.253-291.
LEESEUNGSU "The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table" Journal of Manchurian Studies 40 pp.253-291 (2025) : 253.
LEESEUNGSU. The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table. 2025; 40 : 253-291.
LEESEUNGSU. "The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table" Journal of Manchurian Studies no.40(2025) : 253-291.
LEESEUNGSU. The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table. Journal of Manchurian Studies, 40, 253-291.
LEESEUNGSU. The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table. Journal of Manchurian Studies. 2025; 40 253-291.
LEESEUNGSU. The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table. 2025; 40 : 253-291.
LEESEUNGSU. "The Manchu Imperial Household and Honey in the Qing Dynasty : From Tribute Households to the Emperor’s Table" Journal of Manchurian Studies no.40(2025) : 253-291.
