If you were of Chinese descent and living in 1950s America, the rare times you would see a Chinese person portrayed in the media the portrayal would mostly likely be of a Coolie-like character. In mainstream advertising, people of Asian descent were never portrayed as average Americans.

THAT is why this Chung King character would be considered racist. In the context of the 1950s, that little cartoon character is representative of the one-dimensional portrayal of an entire ethnic group.

Reference: http://pzrservices.typepad.com/vintageadvertising/

Until a week ago, Liu Xiao was part of the Pearl river delta’s army: one of the thousands of workers streaming along a Shenzhen road, gulping down breakfast, texting, lighting a final cigarette, teasing friends and swapping gossip – rushing rushing rushing to the factory for another shift making bras, computers and plastic toys for the world.

Today she waits patiently at the railway station across town. This region was the motor of China’s economic boom, but plummeting exports have forced it to slow and millions of those who kept it running have given up and gone home. Liu Xiao is one of the latest to return to the countryside: in her case to a village of just 200 people a 10-hour ride – and a world away – from Shenzhen.

For a year and a half she worked 11-hour days checking hard drive casings with no music or chat permitted, but found satisfaction in spotting hairline cracks and other errors. Home was a dormitory shared with seven other girls, crowded but renao (lively and chaotic).

“There were lots of rules, like no cooking and not being loud, but you get used to it,” she says. “It was harmonious, not like other dormitories where everyone quarrels.”

Production began to slow late last year and workers drifted away. Without overtime Liu Xiao’s wages slipped from 2,500 yuan (£240) a month to 800 yuan, barely covering living costs, and leaving nothing for visits to internet cafes or for the shopping trips she had learned to enjoy.

Millions abandoned the city at Chinese new year in late January and a steady trickle continues. When rumours spread that Liu Xiao’s factory would soon go bankrupt, as thousands across the manufacturing region have done, she handed in her notice.

Now she is killing time with a colleague, waiting for the night train. “I’m not too happy,” she says. “There aren’t many factories near my village. It’s too boring; there’s not much entertainment and it’s difficult to get out.”

Thirty years ago, Shenzhen was not so different to home: a small fishing village marked out only by its proximity to Hong Kong. That was enough to make Deng Xiaoping pick it as the first special economic zone.

Now it is a restless, dense city of strangers, drawn from every part of China. It has five-star hotels, a Gucci store, endless blocks of shops and flashy restaurants, but also acres of factories and cramped dormitory blocks, sprawling into the next industrial town. Its population has increased more than 30-fold. Even according to official figures, which most consider a wild underestimate, it has 10 million residents.

Three decades after Deng’s economic reforms began, China can seem like two nations. There are the sky-scraping neon-lit cities such as Shenzhen and then there is the countryside, still home to most of the population and richer by far than it was, but falling ever further behind the urban world. Average incomes in cities are now more than three times those of the countryside.

This gulf has produced 140 million migrant workers, and without them the gap would be far wider. For many, their years of toil are a painful, enforced exile from families, undertaken to ensure healthcare for ageing parents, an education for their children and a home for the family.

Increasingly, for younger people, the journey from farm to factory is also a voyage of self-discovery. China as a nation is increasingly urban, wealthy and demanding – and so are many of its citizens.

By Tania Branigan from guardian.co.uk

After century of time, this celebration of life became a day to honor past ancestors by following folk religion, the Chinese believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors looked after the family. Sacrifices of food and spirit money could keep them happy, and the family would prosper through good harvests and more children. Even today, the Chinese visit their family graves to tend to any underbrush that has grown. Weeds are pulled, and dirt swept away, and the family will set out offerings of food and spirit money. Unlike the sacrifices at a family’s home altar, the offerings at the tomb usually consist of dry, bland food.

Superstitious people even carry willow branches with them or hang it on the front door. It’s believed that willows help to get rid of evil spirits, when Ching Ming is one of the days that ghosts and spirits wander about.

The honoring of ancestors begins with proper positioning of a graveyard site and coffin. Feng Shui experts determine the quality of land by the surrounding aspects of streams, rivers, trees, hills, and so forth. An area that faces south, with groves of pine trees creates the best flow of cosmic energy required to keep ancestors happy.

While bland food is placed by the tombs on Ching Ming, Chinese regularly provide scrumptious offerings to their ancestors at altar tables in their homes. The food usually consists of chicken, eggs, or other dishes a deceased ancestor was fond of.

Accompanied by rice, the dishes and eating utensils are carefully arranged so as to bring good luck. Sometimes, a family will put burning incense with the offering so as to expedite the transfer of nutritious elements to the ancestors.

Ancestor worship is a Chinese tradition that goes back thousands of years. Ching Ming or “Remembrance of Ancestors Day” is therefore a key holiday in the Chinese calendar.

From: The Macau Daily Times

The idea of fondue dates back to Homer’s “Iliad,” which discussed a recipe made from goat’s cheese, wine, and flour. The Swiss developed fondue centuries ago. It was a way of preserving food for use during the winter season. Bread was dried, and dipping it in the melted cheese made it edible long after it was made.

Modern fondue originated during the 18th century and became more popular when the Swiss promoted the use of fondue as a daily dish. Brillat-Savarin, the famous French gastronome, talked about fondue in his 19th century writings. The 20th century brought forth many new varieties and recipes. During the 1950s, the Swiss cheese industry began heavily promoting fondue, and by 1955, the first instant fondue was being produced and sold. American tourists discovered it soon after, in the 1960s. Chef Konrad Egli introduced the method of cooking meat cubes in hot oil at New York’s Chalet Swiss Restaurant. Dessert fondues, such as chocolate fondue, became well liked in 1964 and continue to be popular.

As with any communal dish, etiquette prevails when enjoying fondue. One must use the dipping fork to cook the meat and taking the morsel off the dipping fork to eat. In the Swiss tradition, if a man loses his cube of bread in the cheese, he buys wine for everyone, and if it happens to a lady, she kisses the man on her left. If that ever happens to me, I just hope the man on my left is at least a little bit cute.

The ingredients for this dish are mostly very healthy. The beef is high in protein and if one uses flank steak, it won’t be high in fat. Chicken is one of the most popular foods for many reasons. It is a dieter’s delight due to its low calorie content, and it is economical. Tuna is also low in calories, high in protein, and high in Omega-3 fatty acids.

The best way to ensure that your Chinese fondue is of the highest quality is to produce a good broth, because that will make the difference in how the meat, chicken, and tuna taste. It is always best to start with high quality ingredients, such as fresh meat, fish and chicken. To figure out how much meat is required per person, a good rule of thumb is about 200 grams of meat per person. If there is meat left over, you can use it for lunch the next day.

By Samia Mounts

During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote about his experience which have become master writings and invaluable for studying ancient Chinese culture. Over time, he saw gradual decline of the Chu state and his state was defeated by the Qin State. He was so troubled that he ended his life by jumping into the Miluo River. Once other heard him drown, they were upset and fishermen went to search for his body. Since they unable to locate him, people threw zongzi (a special traditional food) and other food into the river to feed the fish. These fish would nibble on his body remains to there would be nothing left of him in his next life. People honored Qu Yuan through dragon boat races, eating zongzi, and other food on the anniversary of his death. The date was the fifth day of the fifth month. The Zongzi food is made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves which bounded together and boiled for many hours. The final food product is a large piece of rice mass that is gels together. The filling inside the zongzi varies on the region the people come from. The people from Taiwan would like more peanuts, dates, lotus seeds, pork pieces, and bean paste inside it. The people from the mainland like sweet red bean as well as egg yolk in the center of it. You can purchase of these zongzi in the stores, but they would taste as good as homemade or restaurant made ones. It is a popular holiday food during this time, and you may be able to find it if you have a local Asian or Chinese community. Until next time, I hope you can find these zongzi food around town, and enjoy your Chinese cooking.

Plum flowers are fragrant and beautiful. They were once the national flower. On the RMB50 cents coins you can see plum flowers on the side.

Chrysanthemum flowers symbolizes a strong life. It is good to give old people chrysanthemum flowers because it means strong life. However, only red ones would be good because white and light yellow ones are used only at funerals. Lovers do not give chrysanthemum to their loved ones.

Narcissus, lotus flowers and orchid are flowers which represent high virtues and elegance.
Orchid blossoms in spring and it brings an air of high class respectfulness.

Narcissus blossoms in winter. White flowers of five ledals and yellow stamen grow in pure water. It represents a sense of purity.

Lotus flowers grow in pond water. Its roots are edible. Its flowers blossom in summer and are either red or white. The seeds are also edible and are often used as medicine. Almost every part of a lotus plant is useful though it grows in muddy pond water. That is also why it is compared to people who manage to achieve successfully in life though come from a less prestige background.

Azalae flowers represents elegance and wealth. You can find azalea on RMB1 coins.

Peach flowers blossom in spring. It represents beautiful girls. In Chinese tradition at Chinese New Year, people who want to find love will usually buy a whole plant and put it home because this will bring them luck in finding love in the coming year.

Pomegranate gives very beautiful flowers. Its fruit is sour but contains a lot of seeds inside. In Chinese tradition, people put this fruit on the bed of the newly weds so as to help the newly weds to make many babies.

Maple trees in China represents old people who don’t admit that they are old because these trees blossoms in autumn which is near the end of a year.

Lilac in China represents modesty, which is one of the virtues that Chinese people value

Other than the above, there are some flowers which have medicinal values. Plum flowers can cure heat, cough and diarrhea; chrysanthemum can cure cold; orchid can cure lung disease and coughs; lotus flowers can cure sunstroke, insomnia and blood vomiting; azalea can regulate female menstruation; narcissus and Chinese rose can remove bruises; laurel can remove bruises and dissolve phlegm.
What about giving presents?

When birthdays or opening a business, red Chinese rose or pomegranate flowers would be good because this represents prosperous future.

For old people, plum flowers or tuberose would be appropriate.

For patients, orchid, you can buy China pink bamboo.

For moving houses, you can buy asparagus fern.

For wedding, you can buy lily because in China it represents hundred years of love. Lily is also good for friends which means unity.

However there are also plants which carry derogative meanings.

Poplar flowers can be easily blown broken. It represents a woman who is not faithful.

Broad-leave epiphyllum flowers are pretty but they open just for one night. It can be easily understood that they represent shortness.

Duckweed floats on the surface of water. It has no roots and floats anywhere. Since the Chinese nation values family and its unity, things which do not have roots would be pitiful.

Thistles and thorns bring people pain. They represent difficulties. Do you know more about what to bring to your Chinese friend next time? Maybe now you can be more confident when asking your Chinese lover out for a date.;-)

Author: Wong Yee Lee
This article was produced by Asia Dragon. Visit us at www.asiadragon.co.uk where you will find authentic oriental fashion & accessories, stylish home furnishings & furniture, beautiful ornaments, Chinese calligraphy plus much, much more!

The most basic understanding of Yin and Yang is the idea of opposing forces. Light and Dark, Hot and Cold, Positive and Negative, and other ideas like this, are good representations.

A better understanding of yin and yang, however, actually involves thinking of them as complementary forces. As such, it’s not enough to say that Light and Dark are opposing forces – one has to think about their relationship to each other as well. It’s also important to remember that everything has Yin and Yang properties. According to Yin and Yang principles, problems arise whenever there is an improper balance of Yin and Yang in one’s life. In order to correct the problem, one needs to work on properly balancing the forces of yin and yang.

Yin and Yang principles can be heavily applied to Chinese dishes. At the most basic level, if a food is cold, it’s a Yin food. If the food is hot, it’s a Yang food. Yin foods are cool and clear away heat. Yang foods can help eliminate colds and help to warm you up. A simple example would be eating ice cream on a hot day – you have an excess of yang warmth, so you need something yin, like an ice cream, to help balance your body.

More specifically though, every Chinese dish strives to find the perfect balance of Yin and Yang. From the colors, ingredients used, to the actual taste, every dish establishes Yin and Yang principles. A good example of this concept is to think of Mongolian beef. Green and brown are set as opposing colors. Broccoli is considered a Yin food, Beef is a Yang food. And, broccoli and beef each have their own distinct flavor.

Yin and Yang principles apply to every aspect of Chinese cooking, it isn’t just the look and taste of food. It’s also the way of preparing the dish – certain ways of cooking are considered to have either Yin or Yang qualities.

It’s no surprise that rice is often used in a meal – after all, rice was first grown in China. Noodles were slowly integrated into meals as China began encountering other cultures. Today, these fan ingredients are essential in almost every Chinese meal.

Of all the cai foods, pork is the most widespread and best loved meat. Mutton, fish, shellfish, poultry, pork, and soy products are other cai foods that are used in abundance. These cai foods are cooked in an astonishing array of different ways – stir frying, stewing, baking, roasting, blanching are all used often. Many times a variety of cooking methods are all used during the preparation of a single dish!

The cai and fan components of a meal help to balance the correct Yin and Yang forces in a food. The contrast in the colors and the tastes of each element are representations of the duality nature of the yin and yang.

The cai and fan components are so important, even China’s poorest carefully try to incorporate these elements in their meals. These meals will usually consist of a simple grain food (like rice) with some sort of meat substitute. Oftentimes, the substitute will consist of a variety of vegetables.

So, when cooking Chinese food, remember to maintain the right portions of cai and fan. They help balance your meals out and you make your meal more like an authentic Chinese dish.

If it is a family, a vase, some dining sets or pictures would be ideal.

It is not easy to think of something special for every occasion. So very often if it is not of any special visits, some fruits such as apples or oranges would be good enough.

It is important to know that giving someone gifts should not be a one-way business. Courtesy requires reciprocity. The person who receives the gift should find a chance in the future to return the same favour by returning a gift of similar value the next time you meet. You can do so simply by either paying a visit with a similar value gift or by inviting the friend out for a meal with you paying the meal. Don’t do it right on the next day because it may appear awkward.

There are also some taboos to avoid in Chinese culture. Though modern Chinese don’t seem to mind them so much, it is still necessary to know what would be suitable in an occasion.

Books would not be welcome in places like Hong Kong or Macau because the pronunciation of ‘book’ in Cantonese resembles the sound of ‘loss’. Especially for those people who are frequent players in race course or Mark six, they would definitely not welcome this idea.

Umbrellas would not be welcome in most places in China because the pronunciation of ‘umbrella’ resembles separation. Of course nobody would like the idea of separation, particularly concerning your loved ones.

Clocks would not be welcome, particularly on someone’s birthday because the pronunciation of ‘clock’ resembles termination, which means death. No wonder people don’t like receiving clocks as birthday gifts.

If you want to give your friends some fruits, remember to buy an even number of them because odd numbers would bring bad luck. So buy 10 apples instead of 9.

Foreigners may find it awkward when your friend says ‘You don’t need to buy anything when you come here.’, or ‘Keep it to yourself. I have a lot of these’. He may not mean it. What you need to do is to insist on him receiving the gift since Chinese people do not tend to receive the gift immediately.
Don’t mind it if he doesn’t open your present immediately too. Chinese people would think opening the present in front of you would be impolite and so they would tend to put it aside and only open it after you have left.

These ideas can only be served as guidelines. Knowing that you come from a foreign culture and being more broad-minded to foreign ideas, Chinese people are nowadays more tolerant to things which are not in line with their culture. So, don’t worry too much when you visit a Chinese friend or family. Maybe your exotic idea would bring them a lot of surprises!!

Author: Wong Yee Lee.
This article was produced by Asia Dragon. Visit us at www.asiadragon.co.uk where you will find authentic oriental fashion & accessories, stylish home furnishings & furniture, beautiful ornaments, Chinese calligraphy plus much, much more!

The most ideal locations to situate a home office, in order of best to second, third ad fourth best are the North (the Career Sector), the Southwest (the Wealth sector), the Northeast (Skills and Talents sector) or the South (the fame and recognition sector.) If possible try to locate your home office in one of those locations.

Here are some other general tips that are thought to bring prosperity to your business.

• Always sit with a solid wall behind your back to ensure that you have support in your life. Never sit with a window behind you.
• In the office always place the fax machine, telephone, and computers in the southeast wealth sector, as this will attract more contacts.
• Position your desk to have a clear view of the door. If this isn’t possible, hang a small mirror so you can easily view the door’s reflection.
• Don’t put a shelf over your desk. This symbolizes burdens the world crashing down on you at any moment. The heavy shelf also symbolizes burdens and difficulties.
• Avoid having sharp accessories, such as a paper cutter blade or the corner of a Xerox machine pointed at your desk. It is shar chi that symbolizes the cutting knife-edge or a disapproving finger pointing at you.
• Make sure that you can walk completely around your desk in a full circle. This makes sure colleagues or workload does not cramp you. You should have space to breathe!
• Do not have clutter in your office. Desktops must be kept tidy and clutter free. Avoid placing In and Out trays on your desk. Try to keep what is in use on your desktop.
• If you own a NCR or cash till try and place that in your southeastern wealth corner as well.
• Avoid placing cactuses in your office as the needles of these plants are thought to create negative shar chi. Shar or sha chi is stagnant or harmful energy.
• In your office, never have the main door opening into your desk as this causes you to be faced with unexpected situations to deal with. Never have a door jamming against your desk, or your prosperity will always be blocked.
• Do not place your desk in a room so that it is between two doors because this causes chi to rush by and pass you by along with all of your good fortune. In other words the good energy walks in one door, right past you and out the back door!
• Never set your desk at the top of a staircase as chi will roll down the stairs and cause you loss of opportunity and wealth. If this is unavoidable, place a mirror above the front door looking in and facing the staircase.
• If people entering your business immediately face a wall and a long corridor try placing a hanging crystal in this area to allow good chi to accumulate. Also place mirrors here to direct the chi into your office.
• Do not place large electric equipment, such as photocopy machine or microwave near to the main door. These are considered to be “hot” items that cause energy to dissipate. Heat causes the dispersal of good chi.
• Do not place paper cutter or fax machines or any machine with a blade next to the front door. The “cutting” energy can cause staff and customers to be unpleasant and even possibly to back stab and fight each with other.
• Do not place an empty vase next to the main door, as empty vessels suck good chi trying to enter your place of business. If you have a vase make sure it is full of flowers!
• If you have candles in your office, light the wicks to make sure they are burnt, even if you don’t plan to light the candle. An unlit candle is bad feng shui as it represents the limitations of possibility.
• Place a fish tank or fishpond in the southwestern corner of your office. If this is not possible consider building a Koi pond in the southwestern sector outside your building.
• To enhance your wealth and prosperity, position your indoor water feature in the southeast element of your home or office. For career luck, place it in the north. A tabletop fountain made of bamboo or flat round stones is always good for this purpose.
• If you have a company signboard or logo it should be optimally placed in the southeastern area, the Southern area or the northern area of your home office.

May wind and water shower you with many blessings!

Sam Steven’s metaphysical articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. You can meet Sam Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com where she is the staff writer. Currently she is studying technology’s impact on the metaphysics.

According to the classic and traditional rules of Feng Shui (the ancient art of object placement to increase good energy in your life) the items that you place in this part of your should be things that align with the energies of personal abundance.

Things that Create Prosperity:

• The colors purple, red and green. These three colors support prosperity energy in a space. A pleasant still life to attract this energy is a pretty glass bowl containing a purple amethyst, a red carnelian and a green piece of jade. You also might want to consider painting this corner one of these colors or using purple, red and green lighting in this corner. An easy way to enhance the color value in this corner is to purchase a lava lamp in purple, red or green. The great thing about a lava lamp is that it also moves, and in Feng Shui, anything electronic or moving helps keep the money circulating in your life.
• Symbols of wealth: Actual money and gold objects are good to display in this area of your house. A bowl of foreign or antique coins can also augment this sector. You can also find statues of “gold ingots” to your local China Town A wonderful statue to place in this area is of a Prosperity Buddha lifting a gold ingot over his head. You might also want to consider placing a gold or green statue of a Chinese Money Toad (this is a three legged statue of a frog or toad with a coin in it’s mouth) or a statue of leaping goldfish
• Fake Money. This is the place to put that fake million-dollar bill you got in a novelty store in a frame and hang it. Some people even keep monopoly money in this area as a symbol of their circulating prosperity. A bowl of foreign coins can also be placed here to magnetize wealth into your life.
• Fountain. This is one the two best places in the entire bagua to place a flowing fountain. The other is your Career sector. Flowing water represents the flowing of money. The Chinese consider wood or bamboo fountains to be especially auspicious when placed in this area.
• Goldfish. This is a great area to put an aquarium. Traditionally the Chinese place eight orange or yellow gold fish and one black goldfish in an aquarium to attract money. The number 8 represents prosperity in Feng Shui. The idea too is that if misfortune hits your family, then the ninth black goldfish will die and receive the misfortune instead of you. You can also buy the traditional Chinese poster of this image in Chinese specialty shops.
• Eight Horses. This is an image of eight horses that can be purchased either a statue or as a poster that adds good chi to this sector. However please note the position of your front door when positioning this poster. Make sure that the direction the horses are running is INTO the house and not out the front or back doors! You can buy this statue in gold, red, green, crystal and orange. When placing it in the southwest, red, green, brass or gold are the best styles to choose.
• Jewels. Treasure chests or displays of real or costume jewelry can help attract the chi of abundance to your southeastern prosperity sector.
• Symbols of Luxury. This is the place-to-place photographs, fine art or statuary that represents the aspiration of “having it all.” A toy model of a Porsche, an image of a country mansion or a photograph of a man standing at the highest mountain in the world are the kinds of images that you should consider putting in this corner.
• Jade Plant. The Jade plant is the ultimate symbol of prosperity for the Chinese. It’s flat round leaves and compact shape makes it the Asian equivalent of a money tree.
• Fruit Trees. Small orange, lemon or lime trees also contain money-drawing properties and are ideal to place in this sector.
• Clutter. The planet Venus rules prosperous energy. Venus won’t enter a dirty home. Piles of junk serve as an obstacle so that positive energy cannot pool and accumulate in your space.
• Leaks. If you have a kitchen or a bathroom with a leaky faucet in this area than the theory is that your money will also be leaking away.
• Toilets. If you have a toilet in this area and there is nothing you can do about it, then make sure that you keep the lid closed at all times to keep your cash from being “flushed away.”
• Kitty litter boxes. Animal toilets have the same negative association as toilets — especially if they smell bad.
• Broken objects. The theory is that ” If it’s broke, you probably are too! “Remove anything that doesn’t work including clocks that keep the wrong time, dead batteries and similar decrepit items from this area. Also replace any burnt out light bulbs, as it is essential that this area be well lit.
• Dead or withering plants: Anything obviously decomposing is antithetical to the energy of prosperity and should be removed from this area.
• Trash cans. Like the toilet, this item drains vital energy from the prosperity area.
• Images of Poverty or Want: Art that depicts objects or landscapes in a withering, rustic or decomposing state should not be displayed here. Also avoid placing photographs of yourself when you were going through a “broke phase” (such as when you were a student in college or just recently divorced) here. You might repeat the situation!

Things That Put You in the Poorhouse:

Sam Steven’s metaphysical articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. You can meet Sam Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com where she is the staff writer. Currently she is studying technology’s impact on the metaphysics.

The makeup of Chinese food consists of several different styles based on each of China’s culturally and agriculturally distinct regions. For the most part, Chinese cuisine is comprised of four main styles. These are the Cantonese style, the Beijing style, the Szechuan style, and the Shanghai style of cooking. The following excerpts explain the different nuances of each style.

CANTONESE STYLE (SOUTHERN REGION)
Canton is located in the southeastern part of China. The area is tropical and abundant with rainfall, making freshness a trait of the cuisine. It is an area that is very fertile and has a climate that is conducive to growing a variety of products such as rice, vegetables, and fruits – to get a vivid illustration; one could say that it closely mimics the climate of Florida.

Canton is surrounded by a vast amount of seas and rivers and, due to the city’s vast abundance of trade routes throughout the world. The Cantonese style is the most widely recognizable style in Chinese cuisine. Another reason for the Cantonese style’s popularity is because the first emigrants to China landed on Canton and feasted on its meals, thereby solidifying Western ideas of Chinese food with the Cantonese style of cooking. As it is seen as the “only” type of Chinese food among Westerner’s, to them it is considered to be the most desirable. Among the actual Chinese, however, it is also considered to be the best and most desirable food available. Because of Canton’s vast array of fresh products, Cantonese food is known as having a taste that is settling and pleasing to the pallet; Cantonese food is neither too hot nor too sour, but, rather, the perfect blend.

BEIJING STYLE (NORTHERN REGION)
As the former capital of China, the Beijing style has been influenced by every other style of Chinese cooking throughout the history of China. While serving as the capital, the best chefs from each region were invited and encouraged to cater to the government staffs. As a result, each chef contributed their own region’s unique style and flavor to give the Beijing style an identity that was a combination of all of China. Because of this, many Beijing style meals that were popular in the past are still widely considered to be the best in Chinese cooking.

Beijing style cooking often incorporates the use of a lot of onions and the quick frying technique. Usually, the onions are fried in oil prior to adding additional ingredients. Also, while serving as the capitol of China, many chefs arrived from the Southern part of China in order to impress the nobility. This Southern style of cooking tended to be sweeter and less salty than that of other styles. In order to ensure popularity, many of the ingredients were adjusted to fit northern tastes (where dishes were preferred to be saltier and richer in flavor). This saltiness and richness has become a defining characteristic of the Beijing style ever since.

SZECHUAN STYLE (WESTERN REGION)
The Szechuan province is located on the south central part of China. Considered to be the most fertile land in China, a vast array of crops are grown all year round. As such, it is the most self-sufficient region of China; in fact, it’s almost a country by itself. Rice, fruits, bamboo groves, vegetables, and spices are all grown in the Szechuan region, and these combine to make the Szechuan style the most diverse style of Chinese cooking.

The Szechuan Style, however, is probably best known for being hot and spicy. Different chilies and spices are grown in abundance throughout the region, and they are used freely in many meals. Salt is rarely used (as a result of the inability to mine natural salt deposits), but many other seasonings are used to make foods stronger and more nutritious.

In general, Szechuan cuisine incorporates more meat than other types of food. The meat is usually cooked somewhat dry, with a spicy and exotic flavor. There is also less of a focus on flavors, aromas, and textures than with other styles. The Szechuan style also utilizes a wide variety of ingredients to produce chewy and crunchy dishes. Walnuts, pine nuts, and sesame seeds are ever present ingredients in the dishes. Strong, pungent flavored vegetables such as onions, garlic, and green onions are a staple of the meals.

SHANGHAI STYLE (EASTERN REGION)
Shanghai is a heavy commercial and industrial region. Most of the imports end export products go through this city, and are distributed to other parts of China. Although Shanghai is a big city, it really has no cuisine to call its own. The region’s cuisine is really a combination of the styles originating from nearby provinces.

Shanghai has plentiful seafood resources given that it is located near the coastline and many rivers. The entrance of the Yangtze River, which flows all the way across China from the east to west, begins in Shanghai. As a result, most of the cuisine emphasizes a rich presence of seafood, slow stewing, basting, and the absence of thickener.

Shanghai’s most distinct identity is the use of dark soy sauce and its abundant use of sugar. The Shanghai style is known as using these ingredients to produce its rich, sweet, flavors. Some of the main dishes from the Shanghai region are shrimps basted in sauce, stir fry prawn with dragon well tea, steamed hairy crab, and boiled clams with sesame oil and soy sauce.

Before that, however, a stock must contain the flavors you need in the first place. This process requires patience and experimentation, and is extremely important in making great Chinese soup. Use this guide to remind you of some of the other basics of making a good stock for some great Chinese soup:

Carry Lots of Stock
Carrying plenty of stock is absolutely essential when making Chinese soup. After all, you end up using a lot of it whenever you make soup, so it’s important to have lots of it on hand. There’s nothing worse than getting ready to make a nice bowl of Chinese soup and realizing you can’t make it because you don’t have any stock. Carry lots of stock, however, and you’ll never be at a loss for cooking ideas because you can add a few ingredients to a stock to make a complete soup meal.

Chinese stocks generally come in two varieties: a clear kind made of chicken, and a rich kind made from other heavy meats. It’s actually a good idea to have both types on hand; you’ll never know when you’ll need to use both in a recipe.

It’s also important to carry around lots of different kinds of stocks. In Chinese cooking, stocks are seen as the foundation to a great soup, so using one type of stock over another can have a huge impact on the taste. If you use a different type of stock than the one recommended, you can actually make a recipe taste plain out bad!

Whether or not you plan to use a lot of stock, its always a good idea to have some frozen stock around for the time when you need some but don’t have time to make it fresh. For the best taste, it should be homemade, not made from a can, as the flavor in canned stock is usually much worse.

How to make a stock
The traditional way to make a stock is, unfortunately, difficult to explain as different cooks mix varying amounts of ingredients to suit their own tastes. Some cooks only like a heavy, equal mix stock, such as 2 cups of water per 1 pound of meat or poultry. Others like a more watery taste, about 3-4 cups of water per 1 pound of meat and poultry.

The actual meat preparation, similarly, is created in a much different way depending on the cook. Some cooks will bone the meat, slice the meat into small diagonal pieces, then chop the bones into tiny pieces, and finally cook everything. Cooks who use this method suggest that separating the meat from the bone releases the most amount of flavor from the meat. Others simply chop the meat, bone and all, into very small pieces. After all, they figure, the meat will separate from the bones while cooking.

With heavier bones, such as ham’s bones or pig’s bones, chopping meat and bone together is simply the only way to cook them – ham’s and pig’s meat are too thick to be sliced. The meat, bones, and water are all combined together in a heavy duty pot with a tight fitting cover when cooked.

Fat hens are well known in China to be excellent for stocks, but, since they are difficult to find in the US, a chicken makes an excellent substitute for the clear stock. Pork, on the other hand, is great for a nice rich stock. Again, try to make stocks using different meats to figure out exactly what you like – you’d be surprised by what you’ll end up liking in stocks!

Both stocks are cooked in a similar way: the ingredients are placed in cold water, simmered until the meat almost disintegrates, then strained to remove bones splinters, specks of fiber, and fat. Ginger with scallions are sometimes cooked with the ingredients at the beginning to soften the odor, while salt with some other ingredients are added at the very end to bring the flavor to life. For chicken stock, some fat is left behind so that the broth will be silky; for meat stock, all fat is removed so it won’t be heavy.

Like most Chinese cooking, however, experimentation is key. It’s essential that you try different ingredients, different seasonings, different amounts of water, different everything! Figure out what you like in a soup and try to make your stock reflect that. While you may not always make something that tastes good, you’ll learn just how valuable, and just how drastic, stocks in Chinese cooking can be. With this knowledge, you’re one step closer to becoming a Master Chef.