Chinese aristocrat cuisine () traces its origin to the Ming and Qing dynasties when imperial officials stationed in Beijing brought their private chefs and such different varieties of culinary styles mixed and developed over time to form a unique breed of its own, and thus the Chinese aristocrat cuisine is often called private cuisine. The current Chinese aristocrat cuisine is a mixture of Shandong cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine and Cantonese cuisine. As Beijing was the capital of the last three Chinese dynasties, most of the Chinese aristocrat cuisine originated in Beijing. Currently, there are a total of nine varieties of Chinese aristocrat cuisine. Confucian cuisine Confucius has been deified and glorified in Chinese history, and has been posthumously awarded numerous ranks and titles by various Chinese emperors in Chinese history. The descendants of Confucius enjoyed the special privilege and status rewarded by the Chinese imperial dynasties, and Confucian cuisine is the cuisine developed by these descendants of Confucius as a result of such special social status. The special social status is further strengthened by the fact that in Qing Dynasty, one of the Confucius’ offspring married to Qianlong Emperor’s daughter. The majority of the dishes of the Confucian cuisine can directly trace their origin to Qianlong era. The characteristics of Confucian cuisine includes a wide selection of ingredients, seasonal harvest available, emphasis on freshness and nutritious value, extravagant and lavish banquets in strict social stratification order, and artistic presentation of each dish of visual luxury. The most luxurious banquet of Confucian cuisine consists of a hundred ninety-six dishes served in four hundred and four tableware, most of which made from silver. The number one dish of Confucian cuisine is the edible bird's nest, for which Confucian cuisine is most famous. The edible bird's nest is the dish highest rank of dish to honor guests. Confucian cuisine are presented in several different classes banquets for different level of extravagance. Dongpo cuisine Dongpo cuisine (Dong-po-cai, 东坡菜) was originally created by Su Shi, the famous Chinese writer, poet, painter, calligrapher, pharmacologist, gastronomist, and a statesman of the Song dynasty, mostly during his years of exile. Named after Su Shi's art name, the most famous dish of Dongpo cuisine is perhaps Dongpo pork. The most frequently used cooking methods includes simmer, stew, and roast, with the original flavor of the material retained. Because Dongpo cuisine was created in his exile era, the food consisted of