China is an ancient civilization, but also a long history of food culture. The food culture is summarized in the following characteristics:

Diverse flavors

Because of China's vastness, the vastness of the land, the climate, products, customs and habits of different places there are differences in the long term, in the diet has also formed a number of flavors. China has always had a "southern rice and northern noodles", the taste of the "southern sweet and salty, sour and spicy" points, mainly Ba Shu, Qilu, Huaiyang, Guangdong and Fujian four major flavors.

The seasons are different

Eating seasonally throughout the year is another major feature of Chinese cooking. Since ancient times, China has been seasoned according to seasonal changes to seasoning, vegetables, winter flavor mellow and thick, summer light and cool; more stewed simmering in winter, more cold frozen in summer.

Paying attention to beauty

Chinese cooking, not only skilled, but also pay attention to the beauty of the tradition of dishes, pay attention to food color, aroma, taste, shape, and the coordination of the device. The performance of the beauty of the dishes is multifaceted, whether it is a carrot, or a cabbage heart, can be carved out of a variety of shapes, unique, to achieve the color, aroma, taste, shape and beauty of the harmony and unity, to give a person with a high degree of unity of the spirit and the material enjoyment of the special.

Focus on interest

Chinese cooking has long been focusing on the taste of interest, not only on the color, aroma and taste of the meal snacks have strict requirements, but also on the naming of them, the way to taste, the rhythm of the meal, entertainment interspersed with certain requirements. The name of the Chinese cuisine can be said to be out of the gods, elegance and vulgarity **** appreciation. The name of the dish both according to the main, auxiliary, seasonings and cooking methods of realistic naming, but also according to historical stories, myths and legends, celebrities, food interests, dishes named after the image, such as "Family Fortunes", "generals over the bridge", " lion's head", "called chicken", "dragon and phoenix", "Hongmen Banquet", "Dongpo Pork ".

Combination of food and medicine

Chinese cooking technology, and health care has a close link, thousands of years ago there is 'medical food with the same source' and 'medicine and food with the same function' said, the use of food raw materials with medicinal value, made into a variety of delicious dishes, to achieve the purpose of certain purposes of disease prevention and treatment."

The beauty of neutrality and harmony is the highest aesthetic ideal of traditional Chinese culture. "Zhongyi is also the great foundation of the world; Heyi is also the world's achiever. To neutralization and harmony, heaven is in place, and all things are nurtured" (Rituals - Zhongyong). There is a famous line in the ancient book "Shangshu - Saying Life", which means that to make a good soup, the key is to harmonize the salty (salt) and sour (plum) flavors, which is a metaphor for ruling a country. In Zuo Zhuan, Yan Ying (the wise prime minister of Qi) also talked with Duke Jing of Qi about what is "and", pointing out that "and" is not "the same", and that it is necessary to establish a basis for the coordination of different opinions. Therefore, Chinese philosophers believed that everything in heaven and earth finds its place in the state of "harmony" in order to reproduce and develop. This aesthetic ideal is built on the harmony and unity between the individual and society, and between man and nature. This idea of realizing the "beauty of harmony" through tuning was inspired and influenced by ancient cooking practices and theories, which in turn influenced people's entire dietary life, especially for the pursuit of art living, living art of the ancient literati and scholars.

The opposite of "neutral" is extreme, extreme in cooking is not considered authentic, those "salty excess, spicy excess, sour excess" of food, although by some of the body in the abnormal state of the people's pursuit, but in the long run it is It is harmful to the body. The evils of extremism in social and political life are even more unspeakable.