The story of chopsticks

热爱和推广中国文化 The Story of Chopsticks(筷子的故事) China is the homeland of chopsticks. The Chinese started to use them in the Shang Dynasty. In the third century A.D., chopsticks were introduced to Japan and thus ended the practice of taking food directly by hand. It was not until the 15th century A.D. that the knife and fork appeared on the dining tables of Europe. Nowadays the Japanese seem to adore chopsticks more enthusiastically than the Chinese. They observe a Chopsticks Festival that falls on 4th of August each year. Moreover, Japanese have a high opinion of the physiological benefits of using chopsticks. They believe that using chopsticks leads to a clever mind and deft(灵巧的) hands. Chopsticks have had a great influence on the world culture. They are used now on all the continents of the world. They are made of materials ranging from bamboo to wood, jade, steel, bone, plastic and still including ivory. 译文： 中国是筷子的故乡。中国人早在商代就开始使用筷子了。在公元3世纪，筷子被引进到日本，因此也结束了手抓食物的时代。直到公元15世纪，刀叉才出现在欧洲餐桌上。 现如今，日本似乎对筷子更钟爱有佳。他们把每年的8月4日定为筷子节。另外，日本人很看重使用筷子所带来的身体上的好处。他们相信使用筷子会使人心灵手巧。 筷子对世界文化有着重要的影响。很多国家都在使用筷子。筷子的制作材料包括木头、翡翠、钢材、骨头、塑料和象牙等。 You know what? Tea is part of daily life for Chinese people just as coffee is for westerners. 就象西方人喝咖啡一样，茶是中国人日常生活中不可缺少的一部分。