2. GEOHRAPHY
China is located in Southeast Asia along the coastline of the
Pacific Ocean.
China borders to the north by Mongolia, Russia & Kazakhstan
& to the south Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand.
To the east it borders to Philippines & Korea; to the west it
borders to India, Afghanistan & Pakistan.
Towards western side, China also faces Himalaya mountain
which is 29000 feet & Tibet's plateau which is 12000 feet.
Due to that, China tends to slope downward towards the east,
that causes Yangtze & other rivers to flow eastward.
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4. Another unique geographic feature is the Gobi dessert
situated in northern china bordering Mongolia.
North China faces harsh winter & dry wind blows from
Gobi dessert & Siberia in the northwest have almost no rain
Whereas, southern china has extremely tropical & humid
conditions during summer, which brings heavy rains.
China has huge area, stretching 5000 kilometers from
north-south & similar distance from west-east.
China is world’s one of the largest country with population
of more than of 1 billion.
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6. HISTORY & CULTURE
The earliest people lived in china around 3700 years before form now (1766 BCE).
Since then, many dynasties ruled China, in 221 BCE under the rule of Qin dynasty, china becam
most powerful.
During the Qin dynasty, china developed in writing, education, business, transportation system &
tried to unify all states.
Under his guidance, 10,000 kilometers
Great Wall was constructed to protect
the Mongolian invaders from north.
7. After the Qin’s death, Emperor Han took over the ruling
power in 206 BC & lasted till 220 AD.
Under his guidance a long road SILK ROUTE was built up
for trading with other countries.
After Han dynasty was collapsed in 220 AD, many dynasties
serially ruled for many centuries, they are as follows:
8. 1. TANG DYNASTY – 618 AD – 907 AD
2. SONG DYNASTY – 960 AD - 1279 AD
3. MING DYNASTY – 1368 AD -1644 AD
4. QING DYNASTY - 1644 AD – 1911 AD
They brought Opium (kind of drug) with
them & forced local to grow it in their land.
But among the above dynasties Qing dynasty period has
memorable effect on Chinese history.
Though trade relation with other countries started long back
but during Qing Dynasty, British started dominating China.
9. In 1800, Emperor Qing banned importing of opium, as a
result, in 1840, Opium war started.
But after got defeated, china gave many areas to Britain to
rule, like this way, china gave many areas to foreign countries.
This decision was not liked by local people, as a result they
became united & formed a secret society known as ‘Boxer’.
They wanted to destroy Qing dynasty & throw all foreigners
out of china, that resulted into “Boxer rebellion” in 1900.
In 1949, dynasty system & feudal monarchy was abolished
& the country became Republic Of China.
10. FESTIVALS
Chinese festivals’ dates are determined by lunar calendar, It
has 12 months, but 1 extra month is added after every 4 years.
Chinese new year or Spring Festival is the most important
festival & occurs on 1st day of 1st month (during spring season).
Before the new year comes, they clean their house, wear new
clothes, go to temples & get ready for the festival.
Jiao ji (sweet dumpling) &
Nian Gao (sticky rice cake) are
typical dishes of this festival.
11. The next is lantern festival it
starts 14 days after new year.
They believe, the festival brings
summer & rain after long winter.
Yuan Xiao, a sweet rice flour dumpling is
the traditional food of the Lantern Festival.
In the evening streets are full of
people, they enjoy the festival with
lion dance & dragon parade.
12. The boat festival began as a tribute to dragon, it is believed
that dragon is the luckiest symbol, it controlled rivers & rains.
The biggest festival of summer is, Dragon Boat Festival, it
happens on 5th day of 5th month.
People surround the lakes & rivers
to see long boats look like dragon line
up in water to race.
Zong zi, rice dumplings are wrapped
with bamboo leaves are traditional food.
13. Next they celebrate winter festival that happens on 15th day
of 8th month; main focus is the moon, which is another symbol.
On this day, they eat round shaped foods which resembles
the moon, such as pomegranate, melon, apples, etc.
The most important food they eat during this time is moon
cake, which is filled with fruits, nuts, etc.
Moon cake
14. Due to china’s vast geography & diverse climate, different
products grow also vary from region to region.
Regional cuisine is defined by certain dishes, by the frequent
use of specific condiments & spices, which set apart from other.
Culinary map of china has been divided into main 4 regions,
they are:
1.BEIJING OR NORTHERN CHIINA
2.SHANGHAI OR EASTERN CHINA
3.SZECHWAN OR WESTERN CHINA
4.CANTONESE OR SOUTHERN CHINA
REGIONAL CUISINE
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16. NORTHERN CHINA
Northern china consists of provinces such as few part of
Mongolia, Shantung & Beijing (Peking) as the capital city.
Due to the extreme cold in winter & mild heat in summer,
rice doesn’t grow much, but wheat & millet is the staple.
One of the popular dish from north
china is Beijing duck .
It is a special breed which has thick
fat & crispy skin.
Garlic & spring onions are common in their all dishes.
17. North china is dominated by Muslim from Mongolia, hence
Muslim influence is seen in their food.
As a result, meat dishes prepared by barbeque are popular
e.g. Mongolian lamb pot & Barbecued Lamb Kebab.
Mongolian lamb pot
Barbecued lamb kebab
18. EASTERN CHINA
Eastern china consists of provinces such as Chinua,
Chekiang, Yangchow & Shanghai
This area is based around the Yangtze river & coastline of
east china sea & north pacific ocean.
This area has a moderate climate & much fertile land, which
includes many rivers & ponds.
Due to rivers & much fertile land the area produces biggest
carp fishes, fattest crabs & also many vegetables.
The food of eastern side is sweeter than other regions.
19. The region is also known for many other specialties which
make china proud throughout the world, they are:
Chinkiang vinegar
from Chekiang
Shaoxing
Rice Wine
Jinhua ham is from
Chinua province
20. SOUTHERN CHINA
Provinces of southern china include Fukien, Canton, Hunan.
The area has humid climate & heavy rainfall, rice is preferred
cereal, few specialties dishes from southern china are:
Spring rolls
Dim sum (steamed & fried dumpling)
Chow Mein (stir fried noodles)
21. WESTERN CHINA
Famous provinces are Yunnan & Szechwan, the area has
heavy rainfall in the summer & has mild winter.
The region has much influences from neighbor countries e.g.
Pakistan, Afghanistan & India.
The region is known for very spicy & oily food; Specialties of
this region are:
Szechwan Peppercorn
Hot & Sour Soup
22. CEREAL GRAINS
Rice is the most preferred cereal, it is usually eaten plain
boiled, there are many rice by-products, such as:
1. Rice dumpling
2. Rice wine
3. Rice vinegar
Beside rice, wheat is widely used to make wanton & noodles.
4. Congee – a kind of rice porridge
23. OTHER COMMONLY USED
INGREDIENTS
Chinese people eat almost everything (all types of
vegetables, meat & seafood).
They also eat many unusual ingredients which are not
eaten in other countries e.g. cat, dog, snake, anteater, etc.
They do not use dairy products e.g. butter, cream, cheese
refined oil taken from beans & nuts are main cooking fat
That is the reason, Chinese food is considered to be
healthier food than in other countries cuisine.
24. TYPICAL DISHES OF CHINA
THOUSAND YEARS EGG
It is made by preserving eggs in clay,
lime & ash mixture for 6 weeks -100 days.
SHARK FINS SOUP
This is a typical soup which is made with
dried shark fins as a main ingredient.
Due to chemical changes, egg interior
becomes dark gray & jelly like texture
25. BIRD’S NEST SOUP
FIVE SPICE POWDER
A thick soup made with bird’s nest, it is
made by bird’s saliva, that hardens when
exposed to air.
Once the nest is collected, it is simmered
in chicken broth with egg white, thus it
creates strands on the surface of soup.
A blend of star anise, pepper, cinnamon,
cloves & fennel seeds, they are broiled &
powdered, used in Szechwan dishes.
26. MSG (MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE)
It is a salt made by a Japanese company
Ajinomoto corporation.
HOI SIN SAUCE
A thick sauce made from soybean paste,
garlic, chilies & various spices
OYSTER SAUCE
It has sweet, salty, oyster flavor & dark brown color
PLUM SAUCE
This sauce is made with sugar, vinegar
plums, apricots, & chili
