The Cold Food Festival began in the State of Jin and lasted for many years. Among them, it is forbidden to eat cold food, such as Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms period. However, the good times did not last long, and the wind of "cold food without fire" spontaneously rose among the people. From the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Cold Food Festival was regarded as a major festival. During the Tang Dynasty, it was still regarded as a grand national festival, and many scholars wrote poems about the Cold Food Festival.

Experts said that the Cold Food Festival was held the day before in Tomb-Sweeping Day. The ancients often extended the activities of the Cold Food Festival to Qingming. Over time, people combine cold food with Qingming. After the late Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, the custom of forbidding fire and cold food gradually faded and declined. In the Yuan Dynasty, many people basically stopped using this custom. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Cold Food Festival no longer banned fire, and people were not required to eat cold food.

The custom of forbidding fire and fasting in the Cold Food Festival, together with the Cold Food Festival itself, has gradually disappeared in most parts of China. Or the Cold Food Festival has become a part of Tomb-Sweeping Day. However, it is of great significance to know and understand this festival, which is helpful for people to explore the cultural and folk connotation of traditional festivals in China.