In those days, cinnamon was a very expensive spice, because it grew in remote southern regions such as the modern provinces of Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Guangxi and Guangdong. Thus Zhuangzi recounts a story of "searching for cinnamon" to eat.
肉桂在當時算是相當昂貴的香料，因為它的產地在偏遠的南方，如湖北、安徽、浙江、廣西、廣東等省分，所以，《莊子》一書裡，有求食肉桂的記述。