Can any other nation rival Chinese food? Instead of “How are you?” Chinese people greet each other with “Ni chi fan le ma?” – “Have you eaten yet?” Once your begin China travel, you may ask yourself a similar question – have you really eaten Chinese food before? For the Middle Kingdom serves up cuisine of such variety and delight that mealtimes there will soon dissolve the taste memories of the pale imitations of Chinese food from back home. As you China travel around the country you will enjoy a veritable culinary Chinese food. From the wheat noodles, mutton kabobs, and Peking duck of the north, venture east to taste the braised crab and abalone of Shanghai, west to try the fiery feasts of Sichuan, and south to taste a thousand different Cantonese dim sum (snack).

China’s fascination with food stems from the ancient worship of gods and spirits, when emperors were carried to temples or sacred peaks to guarantee good harvests with sacrifices of meat and rice wine. Today, any event can prompt a feast where families can bond, relationships grow, disputes be resolved, and business deals reached. For Chinese people everywhere, food is not just a social lubricant, but the cornerstone of their culture.

Although Boiling and steaming dominate Chinese cooking, it is best known for the stir-fry. Restaurants tend to follow the less economical traditions of the elite, not the simplicity of everyday fare, but the stir-fry still reflects the efficiency of Chinese food. Meat and vegetables are cut into small pieces and fried briefly in hot oil, thus saving on fuel and equipment without sacrificing taste. There was little saving in work time, but labor is one resource of which China has plenty.

According to records China’s earliest master of gastronomy, Yi Yin, cooked for the first Shang emperor way back in the 16th century BC. One cookbook from the sixth century AD still sets standards for today’s chefs, like a mouthwatering recipe for roasting suckling pig that should “melt in the mouth like ice.” Over the centuries, countless men of letters sang the glories of food. Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo penned a famous ode to pork and today Dongpo Pork remains Hangzhou’s most celebrated dish. On your China travel you can learn the stories behind many other famous dishes. The ancient philosophy of yin and yang – the blending of contrasts and duality of nature – applies to culinary matters in China as much as to spiritual ones. Achieving the right harmony of yin (soft, cold, dark, and feminine) and yang (strong, hot, bright, and masculine) will ensure good health not just a good meal. Cooling yin foods – for example most vegetables, crab, beancurd – must complement warming yang – meat, chilies. Hence in menu planning, there should be meat dishes as well as vegetable, hot and cold, sweet and sour, plain and spicy. Even meat dishes rarely contain meat alone, while the basic ingredients of stir-frying – scallions and ginger – are yin and yang too. Additionally a balanced diet should include appropriate proportions of both fan (grains) and cai (vegetables) and not too much meat. Many aspects of the culinary arts are thus governed by concepts and philosophies that seem to permeate all of Chinese life.