A few Chinese friends have the very annoying habit of shooting out dinner invitations at the very last minute. The phone will ring late Saturday afternoon and a super slap-up at their favorite restaurant will be announced. Normally, to my sheer horror, a boisterous session at the local KTV tends to follow.

"Ai ya," I say. "You guys do this every time. Why can't you give me more notice, I've already got something on."

Why can't they be more impeccably organized like their great, great, great grand parents?

Up until the beginning of the last century, a dinner invitation in China was a very ordered and structured ceremony and dinner guests were given oodles of notice.

A courier would be sent to a dinner guest's home delivering a very large red envelope containing a very large red card. The color red was a symbol of festivity and celebration so the recipient knew something was cooking at Mr Wang's courtyard home.

On the flashy piece of paper, and in the finest handwriting, was an invitation to a succulent banquet. It would state that on noon on the eighth of next month "the floors would be swept, the wine cups washed and the host will be ready, awaiting their arrival".

A second invite would arrive maybe a week later and a third on the morning of the big day.