So, having been to many a restaurant in China, it seemed to me that there were many superfluous plates (compared to Chinese restaurants in the west). Now, can anyone tell me what all the little plates and bowl at the table are for, and what’s eaten with what? Obviously, the rice comes in it’s own little bowl, and the rest is all a mystery to me…
A little more detail would be helpful. Based on what I see, I’m going to guess that you visited China as a tourist. A relatively well-to-do western tourist. I did that myself about five years back. As a relatively well-to-do tourist, you undoubtedly ate at all the best restaurants.
The answer, then, to “why were there so many plates and bowls and such?” is probably the same as why, say, a Five Star Michelin Rated restaurant in Paris has a gazillion plates and bowls and such. That is, there is a long and rich culinary history, and the food served itself has a long history and thus has evolved to having specialty hardware associated with it over time.
Also, being rich means being able to flaunt your wealth. One way to do this is to have all those dishes and to know the proper use thereof when you go to fancy restaurants.