Some people compared the origin of China's chopsticks to that of the knife and fork in the West. One reason is that China was an agricultural society and relied on vegetables for food. Chopsticks were very convenient tools for eating. The Westerners, on the other hand, were nomads and lived on meat. So knife and fork were more practical for them. Others assume that China did not have much industry. The west was an industrial society, so their eating utensils were made of metal.

It is also the result of culture. Chinese culture worships the theory of collectivism which stresses communion and harmony. So Chinese people like to have communal meals where everybody eats food out of the same bowl. Chopsticks were used in order to discourage people from eating more than others. This was not only a good way to preserve collectiveness and solidarity, but also to restrain individualism and selfishness.