1279 December: Edict banned ritual slaughtering
Two versions of the story
There are two versions of the story that most likely capture the same event. One was as recorded by the Code of Yuan one month later, the other by Arab explorer, Rashid al-Din (拉施德丁, 1247–1318), in 1307.
Jews did not eat the food provided at rest stops
In the Yuan Dynasty, the Huihui, a term used mostly to refer to the Muslims but also included the Jews, passed by rest stops during their journeys. When they were provided lamb prepared by the station households, the travellers refused to eat, claiming the food was impure.
According to Huihui, the lamb killed by the Mongols where the open-chest method was used when slaughtering, was unclean. They demanded to prepare the meat themselves. This caused hostility between them and the station households.
The matter was reported to the Imperial Court. Kublai Khan was offended and issued an edict that prohibited the Muslims and Jews from killing their own lambs for food.
The Code of Yuan captured this event on 27th January 1280.
Jews did not eat the food provided by Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan (元世祖忽必烈, 1215 – 1294), founder of the Yuan dynasty, grandson of Genghis Khan. [Public Domain]
The second version was the story was recorded by Rashid al-Din (拉施德丁, 1247–1318) in 1307. This was slightly more dramatic: “the Huihui did not eat the food provided by the Yuan emperor Kublai Khan (回回人不食忽必烈赐予的饭食).”
A group of Hui merchants, including some Jews, was invited to dine at the Imperial Court. They brought with them the tribute of the most previous gyrfalcon with white feet and red beak for Kublai Khan (1260–1294). The emperor was most pleased. He and invited them for a meal and shared the food on his table with them; but none of these Huihui merchants would touch the food. The emperor asked, “why do you not eat (何以不欲食)?” They answered, “This food is not clean (此食不洁).”
The emperor was offended and issued an edict that prohibited the Muslims and Jews from killing their own lambs for food.
Rashid al-Din recorded this event in his book, The Collected Works of Rashid, in 1307.
1280 January 27th: Code of Yuan, ritual slaughtering
Jews did not eat the lamb provided at rest stops
The Code of Yuan (元典章) recorded an event that happened on December 1279: “The Huihui did not eat the lamb that they did not kill themselves at the travel rest stops (回回人不吃的是驿站提供的肉食).” They demanded to slaughter the lamb themselves. This caused some hostility between the Huihui and the station households.”
Matter reported to Kublai Khan
The matter was reported to Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty. Kublai Khan was offended; one of the reasons was because “when the rest stop provides the Huihui with food and they refuse to eat because they did not kill the lambs themselves, they do not understand the suffering of the people (回回等所过供食，羊非自杀者不食，百姓苦之).”
He believed that, as subjects, they were not above eating the food that the Mongolians themselves eat. Kublai Khan notably said, “You are my slaves, how dare you do not follow the dietary habit of my dynasty (彼吾奴也，饮食敢不随我朝乎)?”
Prohibited ritual slaughtering
The emperor was angered and issued an edict, “From now on, all Huihui and People of the Scriptures will not be allowed to kill lamb other than following the Mongolian way of slaughter which is by open the chest (今后回回人与圣经之民不得抹杀羊只，只能依蒙古法开膛屠羊).”
The Mongolian way of eating was made a compulsory standard that everyone, regardless of religion, had to follow.
Informant to receive transgressor’s wife as reward
The edict further added, “All those who do not follow this will be sentenced to death by the same method in which he killed the lamb, and their wives rewarded to those who tell on them (抹杀羊只者当以同法处死，籍没其妻子授以告发者).”
Earliest reference to Jews in official Chinese record
The edict referred to the Jews as “the People of the Scripture (圣经之民).”
1287: Relaxed dietary and circumcision rules
The restrictions placed on Muslims and Jews regarding ritual meat preparation and circumcision led to a decrease in foreign trade and taxable income so significant that in 1287 Kublai Khan decided to relax these laws.
This event was captured in Rashid al-Din’s (1247–1318) writings in 1307.