Ancient Chinese people had Hot Pot as early as the Shang Dynasty.     18     that time, people boiled foods and soups in bronze cauldrons(青铜鼎). The cauldron had two parts—one was the pot to cook foods in soup, the other part was a layer or a space inside the cauldron to hold firewood. But at that time, the cauldron was only for one person to eat from. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC—220 AD), people divided a pot into several parts to enjoy     19     flavors (口味).

In the Tang Dynasty, having Hot Pot was a     20     thing that was loved by lots of people. If people held a big family feast (宴席), they would prepare a     21     Hot Pot. People of the Song Dynasty (960—1279) had Hot Pot to welcome winter.

Huoguo, the Chinese name for Hot Pot, was mentioned by Yuan Mei, poet and foodie in the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911), in a book about all kinds of food. At that time, Hot Pot was more popular than many other dishes. People put all kinds of     22     and vegetables into pots. People love mutton most     23     it can make people warm in winter.

Hot Pot also became     24     famous royal (宫廷的) dish, called reguo. It’s said that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty loved Hot Pot so much that he had     25     for almost every meal. He once held a big Hot Pot feast, inviting more than 5, 000 people to enjoy about 1, 550 Hot Pots.