The Chinese nation has a civilized history of 5,000
years and has created a splendid traditional culture.
Being one of the important fruits of China's age-old culture,
the Chinese food and drink culinary art enjoys
a high prestige both at home and abroad. The whole world
looks upon eating a Chinese meal as a high-leveled enjoyment.
The Chinese people whether living in or outside the county
all share a proper sense of pride for such a rich Chinese
food and drink culinary culture. Thus, to regard the
Chinese food and drink culinary art as a culture, a
science, or an art is entirely justifiable.
The Chinese culinary culture has a distant source and
has become well-established. The legend has it that the
Chinese culinary culture originated with Yi Yin, a
virtuous and capable minister of the Shang Dynasty(ca.
15th to 11th century B.C.). It can be seen that China
initiated the culinary art as early as the Shang and Zhou
(ca. 11th century to 221 B.C.) times. With the growth
and development of production and economy during various
periods, the culinary techniques too registered step by
step heightening and improvement----from brevity to
variety, from rudimentary to advanced stage, from
day-to-day snacks to feasts, even to palatial dishes and
delicacies. During about the time from the Spring and
Autumn Period(ca. 770-476 B.C.) and the Warring Stated
Period(ca. 475-221 B.C.), to the Sui-Tang period the
Chinese dishes began to be marked apart by Southern and
Northern tastes. During the period of the Tang (618-907
A.D.) and the Song(960-1279 A.D.) dynasties, people went
in a great deal for eating and distinct local colours
were added to the Chinese dishes, such as the Northern
food("Lu" or the Shandong dishes), the Southern food
("Yue" or the Cantonese dishes), the Chuan food (Sichuan
dishes), Wei Yang(Yangzhou) and the vegetarian foods
and records respecting each kind of dishes have been
handed down. No matter whether in regard to the four
oldest groups (i.e., the Sichuan, Cantonese, Shandong
and Yangzhou groups) or the eight groups that gradually
matured after the Tang and Song Dynasties (the Sichuan,
Cantonese, Shandong, Yangzhou, Beijing, Anhui, Zhejiang
and Hunan groups) or the Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Henan,
Liaoning groups, as well as the Muslim feasts prevalent
throughout the country, each of these famous groups has
its own long history and characteristic traditional
techniques; these put together have truly for the
Chinese culinary culture produced a rich, sublime
fruit borne out of the policy of letting a hundred
flowers bloom and a hundred schools contend.
Shanghai is China's biggest port city. Since the
Opium War and the opening of the five ports to foreign
trade, it was thronged by traders from all over the
world and was densely populated by the Chinese and
foreigners, and the city became thriving and prosperous.
In the wake of economic growth, the several big culinary
blocs poured into Shanghai one after another. Till the
twenties of the present century, restaurants featuring
the various kinds of dishes, like the Cantonese food,
Sichuan food, Beijing food, Yangzhuo food, Ningbo food,
Anhui food, Muslim feast, Tianjin food, Suzhou and Wuxi
food and Shanghai's local dishes together with Western
cafes, numbering near a hundred, had emerged in
Shanghai. So the saying "Satisfying eating is in
Shanghai" is actually not coined by the Shanghailanders
of today, but prevailed already some 80 years ago.
The Southerners say: "Satisfying eating is in Guangzhou
and Hong Kong." The Northerners say: "Satisfying eating
is in Beijing and Tianjin." The Southwesterners say:
"Satisfying eating is in Chengdu and Kunming." The
Northwesterners say: "Satisfying eating is in Xi'an and
Lanzhou." The Northeasterners say: "Satisfying eating is
in Harbin, the Moscow of the Orient." Undoubtedly each
of these sayings is correct, because in each place of
our fatherland there are distinctly-coloured
regional culinary blocs and the delicacies of
different tastes available in Chinese
food, a fact acknowledged the world over.
- Saute Mandarin Fish Grains In Crab Shells
- Saute Mandarin Fish Pieces
- Steamed Wax Gourd and Straw Mushrooms
- Steamed Crab Meat With Wax Gourd
- Seasoned Eel Slices
- Meatballs Stuffed With Crab Ovum
- Chicken Loin Grains In Nest
- Fried And Steamed Duck Meat & Skin
- Soup Of Steamed Shreds Of Bamboo Shoot, Ham, Chicken
- Braised Eel Pieces
- Eight Gods Enjoying Autumn Scene
- Steamed Eel Shreds Pile
- Braised Chicken
- Steamed Clams
- Fried Green Pepper Pieces With Beef Mousse
- Ba Zhen Soup In Wax Gourd Tureen
- Liquor-soaked chicken
- Fried Eel Pieces With Cashew Nuts
- Tian Ma Baked Eel
- Saute Conch Meat Put In Shell
- Steamed Black Carp Slices
- Roast Suckling Pig
- Fried Pickled Pigeon
- Seefoods Chafing Dish
- Fried Mandarin Fish
- Steamed Eel Slices Shaped Like A Turtle
- Fried Mandarin Fish Shreds With Crab Meat
- Mandarin Fish Shreds With Saute Crab Meat
- Saute Shrimps With Sesame
- French Baked Abalone
- Long Men Saute Brocoli
- Saute Lobster Slices With Egg Slices & Scallops
- Saute Stuffed Scallop Balls
- Braised Scallops & Wax Gourd Balls
- Steamed duck stuffed with delicacies
- Braised Scallops With Black Moss
- Bai Xia Braised Pearl-like Bean Curd
- Braised Black Carp's Hind Parts
- Braised Apricot Kernels With Saute Cabbage Hearts
- Steamed Cuttlefish With Shrimp Mousse
- Deep-fried Bean Curd Balls
- Saute Mandarin Fish With Noodles
- Steamed Eel With Pigeon Eggs
- Saute Shrimp Meat And Squids
- Xian Xia Eel Meat
- Seamed Beef Leg Slices
- Fried Vegetables Shaped Like Phoenix
- Steamed Perch Rolls
- Saute Frog Legs Stuck On Bamboo Pieces
- Fried Big Prawns
- Duck Blood & Bean Curd Soup
- Prawn Rolls Shaped Like Phoenix Tail
- Saute Beef & Chicken Breast
- Fried Pork Fillets Put On Heated Iron Plate
- Fried Beef
- Braised Black Carp Slices
- Steamed Prawns & Fried Eel
- Steamed Wax Gourd Pieces
- Steamed Mandarin Fish Rolls
- Saute Grained Fish Meat
- Braised Lobster Slices
- Cheese Baked Prawn
- Baked Clams
- Snake Meat Shreds Soup
- Saute Chicken Breast Grains
- Steamed Eel (Shaped Like Frog)
- Crab Meat & Shredded Fish
- Mandarin Ducks & lotus Flowers
- Saute Prawns In Nest
- Three-colour Prawns Shaped Like Goldfish
- Crab Meat & Pigeon Egg Rolls
- Saute Prawns In Nest
- Saute Duck Meat (Shaped Like Lotus Flower)
- Saute Conch Meat Slices In Three Colours
- Melted Sugar, Scalded Brocoli & Fried Prawn Meat
- Fresh Scallop Paste
- Steamed River Crab Shaped Like Lotus Flower
- Braised Chicken With Chinese Tonics
- Fish Tripe Soup
- Wuxi Pickled Pork Slices
- Fried Mandarin Fish Rolls With Banana Pieces
- Sea Clam Soup
- Seafoods & Fowl In Wine Jug (Buddha Jumping Over Wall)
- Korean Flavour Fried--Baked Rice
- Raw Beef Mixture
- Unique Taste Dried Mushrooms
- Smoked Pork & Glutinous Rice Rolls
- French Backed Duck Meat
- Seafoods Salad
- Birds In Nest
- Black Carp Slices With Ginger Juice
- Lobster Slices On Ice Pieces
- Baked Suckling Pig With Roast Duck & Beef Tendon
- Crane & Pagoda Circled With 8 Dishes
- Variety Instant Boiled Mutton Chafing Dish
- Braised Bean Curd With Clam Meat
- Saute Skewered Deer Meat & Hazel Grouse Meat
- Prawns Cooked In Three Ways
- Ying Bin Cold Dish
- Crab Meat Put In Wax Gourd Cylinder
- Camel Hoof Paste
- Braised Black Carp
- Saute Squid
- Smoked Pomfret
- Chicken Feet Soaked In Spice Soup
- Saute Prawn Meat Wrapped In Net Fat
- Steamed Bean Curd Soup
- Saute Black Carp
- Saute Prawns
- Seafoods Casserole
- Large Dish
- Tokyo Chafing Dish
- Beef Slice On Ice
- Skewered Cicadas
- Steamed Shrimp Mousse
- Steamed Wax Gourd Rolls
- Saute Prawns
- Fried & Stewed Eel Pieces
- Chicken Grains & Ham Shreds Wrapped In Egg Sheets
- Roast, Steamed & Saute Beef
- Braised Chicken With Lilac
- Saute Mandarin Fish Shreds
- Braised Eel Pieces
- Fu Li Hua Steamed Bean Curd Slices
- Saute Banana Rolls Coated With Lotus Seed Paste
- Large Dish Of Eel, Chicken, Pig, Beef
- Steamed Scallops In Marrow Rings
- Steamed Eel & Fried Crabs
- Baked Prawns
- Jadeite Shrimp
- Steamed Eel Rolls Shaped Like Turtle
- Saute Shrimp Meat Balls
- Jade Green Soybean Paste
- Baked Smoked Promfret With Salad Sauce
- Baked Whelks With Cream
- Banquet Of Casseroles
- Saute Vegetables In Wax Gourd
- Braised Turtle Skirt Shaped Like Jadeite
- Steamed Mandarin Fish Meat Shaped Like Butterfly
- Steamed Mandarin Fish Shaped Like Crab
- Tai Ji Prawn Meat Balls
- Steamed Eel Pieces
- Crystal Pig's Stomachic Pieces Soup
- Stewed Shark's Fins With Pigeon Meat
- Steamed Pomfret Shaped Like Butterfly
- Roast Beijing Crammed Duck
- Steamed & Braised Bear's Paw
- Saute River Shrimp Meat
- Saute River Crab Ovum
- Jin Jiang Roast Duck
- Braised Turtle Skirt & Duck Tongues
- Seafood Casserole
- Chicken Rice
- Cherry Flower Bean Curd
- Steamed Crabs