A water banquet has two requirements and the first one is that soups are the only hot dishes allowed to be presented. The second requirement is that once a dish is finished, it is immediately followed with another dish; like the process of continuously flowing water. In total, twenty four dishes are served at a Water Banquet.

The concept of the Water Banquet originated in Luoyang because, people liked to drink soup during the cold and dreary winters. The ingredients of the soups are all readily available, inexpensive local vegetables, such as yams, radishes, and bok choy. During the time of the Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, the Luoyang Water Banquet developed from a folk custom into an imperial rite. The Luoyang people have hept this tradition going for thousand years, right up to present day, when they hold Water Banquet for all great occasions, from weddings to funerals.