The turntable rule: which way the glass disc spins at a Chinese banquet

At a round table of ten, the glass turntable in the centre does more social work than any diner. It decides who sees a dish first and who waits. It also shows who has broken a rule that nobody will mention out loud.

The disc turns one way

The turntable, zhuànpán (转盘), is usually a heavy sheet of tempered glass on a bearing. Most tables turn it clockwise, so plates travel in one loop everyone can predict. Before you move it, check that no spoon is still in a dish and no chopsticks are reaching. Turn it slowly, about a quarter at a time.

Where a new plate lands

A fresh dish is set down in front of the guest of honour, the zhǔbīn (主宾), or the host turns it to them. The rest of the table waits until that first serving is taken. If you are the guest of honour, take a modest portion and push the disc on.

The fish and its head

A whole steamed fish is laid with its head toward the most senior guest. In parts of Shandong this comes with a drinking custom, tóu sān wěi sì (头三尾四): the person the head faces drinks three glasses, and the person at the tail drinks four. Hosts sometimes turn the disc on purpose so the head stops at a particular guest.

In many coastal towns, diners do not flip the fish to reach the underside. Fān (翻), to turn over, is also the word for a boat capsizing, so people lift the spine away instead.

鱼头对着谁，谁就先举杯（yú tóu duì zhe shéi, shéi jiù xiān jǔ bēi）。

Visitors are forgiven for nearly all of this. Watch the host's hand on the glass for the first two dishes and you will learn the rhythm faster than any rule can teach it.