Masana ilmin kimiya na kayan tarihi sun tabbatar da cewa China ce ta fara shuka shinkafa akalla shekaru 3.000 zuwa 4.000 da suka gabata. A cikin shekarun 1970, an gano tsaba mai hatsi mai tsini ba tare da ɓarna ba daga rusassun Neolithic a Yuyao Hemudu, lardin Zhejiang, farkon tarihin noman shinkafa a China, da kuma duniya.
A lokacin da daular Zhou ta yamma (c. 1100 BC - C 771 BC) take kan mulki, an yarda da shinkafa kuma tana da mahimmanci, kamar yadda ake iya gani daga rubuce-rubucen kan jiragen ruwan tagulla da aka yi amfani da su azaman kwantena don ajiyar shinkafar. A wannan lokacin, shinkafa ta kasance wani ɓangare na manyan liyafa.
A lokacin bazara da lokacin kaka (770 BC - 476 BC), shinkafa ta zama muhimmin ɓangare na kayan abinci ga Sinawa. Daga baya a kudancin China, musamman tare da haɓaka ƙwarewar dabarun aikin gona sosai a lokacin daular Han (206 BC - 220 AD), shinkafa ta tashi don zama muhimmin matsayi a al'adun Sinawa.
Noman shinkafa ya haifar da ci gaban tsarin rayuwar tattalin arziki mai dogaro: noma a lokacin bazara, sare ciyawa a lokacin bazara, girbi a kaka, da tarawa a lokacin sanyi. A tsohuwar kasar Sin, filaye masu yawa, gami da yankin tsakiya na yanzu da na kasan Yangtze da arewacin kasar Sin, sun dace da shuka shinkafa, tare da yawancin Sinawa da ke aiki a wata karamar hanya musamman a lokutan daban-daban. na shekara.
Noman shinkafa ya rinjayi wasu fannoni da yawa na tsohuwar tattalin arzikin Sinawa. Misali, noman kasar Sin ya dogara ne da fasahohin ban ruwa na zamani domin ya zama mai amfani. An bayyana mahimmancin ban ruwa a cikin Tarihi na Ashirin da Hudu, tarin shekaru 4.000 na littattafan tarihi na tarihin Sinawa, waɗanda suka yi rikodin tarihin sarauta tun daga zamanin da daɗewa zuwa daular Ming (1368 - 1644).
An gina China akan aikin noma. A lokacin kafin Daular Qin (221 BC - 206 BC), shinkafa ta zama abinci na musamman da aka shirya. Hakanan ana amfani dashi don shirya giya kuma ana miƙa shi hadaya ga alloli. Bugu da ƙari, an yi shinkafa da kyau cikin nau'ikan abinci daban-daban, waɗanda suka taka muhimmiyar rawa a yawancin bukukuwan gargajiya na ƙasar Sin.
Da farko dai, shinkafa wani yanki ne na abincin dare a Bikin Kirsimeti. A wannan lokacin, dangin Sinawa waɗanda kek ɗin Sabuwar Shekara da kuma kek da aka dafa daga gari sun juya daga shinkafa mai ci. Ana kiran kek ɗin «gao» a cikin Sinanci, luwadi zuwa wani «Gao», wanda ke nufin tsayawa. Mutane suna cin waɗannan wainar da begen samun kyakkyawan girbi da kyakkyawan yanayi a cikin Sabuwar Shekara.
Gurasar Sabuwar Shekara da abincin dare alama ce ta mutane don kyakkyawar makoma. Na biyu, ana yin kwallayen shinkafa ne a daren 15 ga XNUMX ga wata. Wannan ita ce rana ta farko da zaku iya ganin cikakkiyar watan kowace Sabuwar Shekara. Mutane suna cin wainar shinkafa, wanda aka fi sani da Yuanxiao a arewa da kuma Tangyuan a kudanci ("yuan" yana nufin gamsuwa da Sinanci), duk suna fatan zai fito lokacin da suke so.