Editing Chinese culture (section)

== Cuisine ==
{{Main|Chinese cuisine}}
[[File:VegetableSpringRolls.JPG|thumb|[[Spring rolls]] are a large variety of filled, rolled appetizers or dim sum found in Chinese cuisine. [[Spring rolls]] are the main dishes in Chinese Spring Festival ([[Chinese New Year]]).]]
Chinese cuisine is a very important part of Chinese culture, which includes cuisine originating from the diverse regions of China, as well as from Chinese people in other parts of the world. Because of the [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese diaspora]] and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many other cuisines in [[Asia]], with modifications made to cater to local palates.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ma |first1=Guansheng |title=Food, eating behavior, and culture in Chinese society |journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |date=December 2015 |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=195–199 |doi=10.1016/j.jef.2015.11.004|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Seasoning]] and [[Chinese cooking techniques|cooking techniques]] of Chinese provinces depend on differences in [[history of Chinese cuisine|historical background]] and [[List of ethnic groups in China|ethnic groups]]. Geographic features including mountains, rivers, forests and deserts also have a strong effect on the local available ingredients, considering climate of China varies from [[Tropical savanna climate|tropical]] in the south to [[Subarctic climate|subarctic]] in the northeast. [[Chinese aristocrat cuisine|Imperial, royal and noble preference]] also plays a role in the change of Chinese cuisines. Because of imperial expansion and trading, ingredients and cooking techniques from other cultures are integrated into Chinese cuisines over time. The most praised "Four Major Cuisines" are [[Sichuan cuisine|Chuan]], [[Shandong cuisine|Lu]], [[Cantonese cuisine|Yue]] and [[Huaiyang cuisine|Huaiyang]], representing West, North, South and East China cuisine correspondingly.<ref>{{cite web|title=Four Major Cuisines in China|url=http://www.cits.net/china-travel-guide/four-major-cuisines-in-china.html|website=CITS|access-date=10 January 2017|archive-date=11 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111004157/http://www.cits.net/china-travel-guide/four-major-cuisines-in-china.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Modern "Eight Cuisines" of China<ref>{{cite web|title=Eight Cuisines of China – Shandong & Guangdong|url=http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/eight_cuisines.htm|website=TravelChinaGuide.com|ref=1|access-date=1 November 2017|archive-date=28 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828122551/http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/eight_cuisines.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> are [[Anhui cuisine|Anhui]], [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]], [[Fujian cuisine|Fujian]], [[Hunan cuisine|Hunan]], [[Jiangsu cuisine|Jiangsu]], [[Shandong cuisine|Shandong]], [[Sichuan cuisine|Sichuan]], and [[Zhejiang cuisine|Zhejiang]] cuisines.<ref name="beautyfujian">[https://web.archive.org/web/20130731165745/http://beautyfujian.com/Fujian/Fujian_Cuisine.html "Fujian Cuisine.] [http://beautyfujian.com/ Beautyfujian.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710001538/http://beautyfujian.com/ |date=10 July 2011 }}. Accessed June 2011.</ref> Color, smell and taste are the three traditional aspects used to describe Chinese food,<ref>This standard starts from [[Tang dynasty]] in the 6th century by [[Bai Juyi]] from the ''Preface of [[Lychee]] Diagram'': After leaving branch...for four and five days, the color, smell and taste (of lychee) will be gone. (《荔枝圖序》：「若離本枝......四五日外，色、香、味盡去矣」。）</ref> as well as the meaning, appearance and nutrition of the food. Cooking should be appraised from ingredients used, cuttings, cooking time and seasoning. It is considered inappropriate to use knives on the dining table. [[Chopsticks]] are the main eating utensils for Chinese food, which can be used to cut and pick up food.

=== Tea culture ===
{{Main|Chinese tea|Chinese tea culture|History of tea in China}}
[[File:China tea.jpg|thumb|right|A traditional [[Chinese tea culture]] (茶艺，茶藝) set and three [[gaiwan]].]]
The practice of drinking [[tea]] has a long history in China, having originated there.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Inscribed landscapes : travel writing from imperial China|last=E.|first=Strassberg, Richard|date=1994 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-91486-5 |location=Berkeley|oclc=44957693}}</ref> The history of tea in China is long and complex, for the [[Chinese people|Chinese]] have enjoyed tea for millennia. Scholars hailed the brew as a cure for a variety of ailments; the nobility considered the consumption of good tea as a mark of their status, and the common people simply enjoyed its flavour. In 2016, the discovery of the earliest known physical evidence of tea from the mausoleum of [[Emperor Jing of Han]] in [[Xi'an]] was announced, indicating that tea from the genus ''[[Camellia]]'' was drunk by [[Han dynasty]] emperors as early as 2nd century BC.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Earliest tea as evidence for one branch of the Silk Road across the Tibetan Plateau |author=Houyuan Lu|journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=6|doi=10.1038/srep18955| date=7 January 2016 |pages=18955|pmid=26738699|pmc=4704058 |bibcode=2016NatSR...618955L|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Tea then became a popular drink in the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) Dynasties.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Chinese Tea|last=Liu|first=Tong|publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2012|isbn=978-0-521-18680-3|location=The United States of America|page=1}}</ref>

Although tea originated in China, during the Tang dynasty, Chinese tea generally represents tea leaves which have been processed using methods inherited from [[ancient China]]. According to popular legend, tea was discovered by Chinese Emperor [[Shen Nong]] in 2737 BCE when a leaf from a nearby shrub fell into water the emperor was boiling.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.radio86.com/lifestyle-china/tea-and-chinese-way-life|title=Tea and the Chinese way of life |publisher=radio86.com |access-date=9 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816121220/http://en.radio86.com/lifestyle-china/tea-and-chinese-way-life|archive-date=16 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tea is deeply woven into the history and culture of China. The beverage is considered one of the [[seven necessities]] of Chinese life, along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ketang.dict.cn/item/4e981f95acf0a3c9df000098 |title=Notes on Chinese Culture – Food and Drinks (08) – Chinese Tea|publisher=dict.cn|access-date=9 January 2012 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120804163552/http://ketang.dict.cn/item/4e981f95acf0a3c9df000098|archive-date=4 August 2012}}</ref> During the [[Spring and Autumn period]], Chinese tea was used for medicinal purposes and it was the period when the Chinese people first enjoyed the juice extracted from the tea leaves that they chewed.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

Chinese tea culture refers to how tea is prepared as well as the occasions when people consume tea in China. Tea culture in China differs from that in European countries such as [[British tea culture|Britain]] and other Asian countries like [[Tea in Japan|Japan]] in preparation, taste, and the occasions when people consume tea. Even today, tea is consumed regularly, both at casual and formal occasions. In addition to being a popular beverage, tea is used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]], as well as in Chinese cuisine. [[Green tea]] is one of the main teas originating in China.

=== Food culture ===
{{Further|Manchu Han Imperial Feast|Customs and etiquette in Chinese dining}}
[[File:Spoon and chopsticks.jpg|thumb|upright|Photo showing serving chopsticks (''gongkuai'') on the far right, personal chopsticks (''putongkuai'') in the middle, and a spoon. Serving chopsticks are usually more ornate than the personal ones.]]
[[Chinese aristocrat cuisine|Imperial, royal and noble preference]] played a role in the changes in Chinese cuisines over time.<ref name=kf>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnTM8uUWyHEC&q=%E5%AD%94%E5%BA%9C%E8%8F%9C%E7%9A%84%E7%89%B9%E7%82%B9&pg=PA85 | title=Origin of Confucian cuisine | isbn=978-7-81082-370-8 | access-date=January 1, 2006 | author1=徐文苑 | year=2005 | publisher=清华大学出版社有限公司 | archive-date=22 October 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022223519/https://books.google.com/books?id=PnTM8uUWyHEC&q=%E5%AD%94%E5%BA%9C%E8%8F%9C%E7%9A%84%E7%89%B9%E7%82%B9&pg=PA85#v=snippet&q=%E5%AD%94%E5%BA%9C%E8%8F%9C%E7%9A%84%E7%89%B9%E7%82%B9&f=false | url-status=live }}</ref> Because of imperial expansion and trading, ingredients and cooking techniques from other cultures were integrated into Chinese cuisines over time. The overwhelmingly large variety of Chinese cuisine comes mainly from the practice of the dynastic periods, when [[Emperor of China|emperors]] would host banquets with over 100 dishes per meal.<ref name="Kong">Kong, Foong, Ling. [2002]. The Food of Asia. Tuttle Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7946-0146-4}}</ref> A countless number of imperial kitchen staff and [[concubines]] were involved in the food preparation process. Over time, many dishes became part of the everyday citizen's cuisine. Some of the highest quality restaurants with recipes close to the dynastic periods include Fangshan restaurant in [[Beihai Park]] [[Beijing]] and the Oriole Pavilion.<ref name="Kong"/> Arguably all branches of [[Cuisine of Hong Kong#Eastern Styles|Hong Kong eastern style]] are in some ways rooted from the original dynastic cuisines.

''Manhan Quanxi'', literally ''Manchu Han Imperial Feast'' was one of the grandest meals ever documented in Chinese cuisine. It consisted of at least 108 unique dishes from the [[Manchu people|Manchu]] and [[Han Chinese]] culture during the [[Qing dynasty]], and it is only reserved and intended for the [[Emperor of China|emperors]]. The meal was held for three whole days, across six banquets. The culinary skills consisted of cooking methods from all over [[Late Imperial China|Imperial China]].<ref name="Hoover">Hoover, Michael.  Stokes, Lisa, Odham. (1999). City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema. Verso publishing. {{ISBN|1-85984-203-8}}</ref> When the [[Qing conquest of the Ming|Manchus conquered China]] and founded the [[Qing dynasty]], the Manchu and Han Chinese peoples struggled for power. The [[Kangxi Emperor]] wanted to resolve the disputes so he held a banquet during his 66th birthday celebrations. The banquet consisted of Manchu and Han dishes, with officials from both ethnic groups attending the banquet together. After the [[Wuchang Uprising]], common people learned about the imperial banquet. The original meal was served in the [[Forbidden City]] in [[Beijing]].<ref name="Hoover" /><!--Using the book source, but I got a feeling they meant 66 in the book instead of 60 years old, so 66 is used here-->