TheLunarCat

China is one of the four Ancient Civilisations, so it has a very long history.  With the earliest recorded history dating back to 1600 BC, the Ancient China Era which lasts through to 221 BC. This is followed by the Imperial Era 221 BC to 1912 AD, the Republic of China Era from 1912 to 1949 and the Modern Era from 1949 onwards.

 

China’s history and achievements can be marked by the start and end of the rule of many Dynasties. Some events and accomplishments of China’s long history include: 

• the building of the Great Wall of China, which started during the 7th century BC during the Zhou Dynasty and was completed around 1878 in the Qing Dynasty as well as the Terracotta Army; 

• trade on the Silk Road route during the Western Han Dynasty (206-9 BC); 

• the development of advanced paper making technologies during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220AD); 

• the building of the Grand Canal during the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 AD) as well as the rebuilding of the Great Wall of China; 

• the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty under the rule of it’s only Empress in history (684-705 AD); 

• the issue of the world’s first paper money in 1024 during the Northern Song Dynasty; 

• Mongol rule during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), under the rule of Kublai Khan; 

• the building of the Forbidden City during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) which returned rule back to the Chinese replacing the waning Mongol rule; and finally 

• the last imperial Dynasty the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) which saw the establishment of the modern day boundary of China and the first Opium Wars.

During the Republic of China Era (1912-1949) following a Republican revolution in 1911, there was a period of civil war which was then followed by the Modern China Era which has been a period of phenomenal economic growth, and which founded the People’s Republic of China under communist rule.

 

China’s food history is just as colourful. Over its history, eight different cuisines have developed. Each is distinctive and based on the different geography, history, resources, climate, cooking techniques and lifestyles in place in the region of that cuisine. Initially there were four major cuisines - Shandong (Lu), Su (Huaiyang), Cantonese (Yue), and Sichuan (Chuan). By the end of the Qing Dynasty an additional four cuisines had developed making up the Eight Cuisines of China, these cuisines were the: Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan, and Anhui cuisines. 

 

During the Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BC), which was famous for the introduction of the Chinese philosophies of Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism, food reached new heights. Meals were judged on aroma, taste, colour and texture and each meal was expected to have four “Natures” - hot, warm, cool and cold, as well as five “Tastes” - sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent. 

 

During the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) the production of foods such as  barley, beans, millet and brown rice became very organised. Southern China became known for its rice, and Northern China for its flour products. The opening of the Silk Road for trade as well as China’s expansion into Asia, also led to the use of different cooking techniques, ingredients and traditions. Many foods were introduced including pepper, walnuts, sesame, fennel, onion, garlic, pomegranate, grapes, watermelon, cucumber, spinach, carrots, celery and lettuce.

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During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) tea became very popular amongst the Elites and Chinese people started having parties and banquets for enjoyment. By the Song Dynasty (960-1279) manufacturing and trade developments led to better access to foods and the Chinese cuisine blossomed even further combining more cooking techniques, herbal medicine, religion and rules about how to prepare balanced meals.

 

During the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), when they were ruled by the foreign Mongol empire, they gained access to more foreign ingredients and methods of food production. In the following Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) this developed further, to include the establishment of sea trading routes, giving them access to new plants, animal and food crops. This included the introduction of chili pepper plants!

 

Modern Chinese Cuisine is still very much a product of its long history, but continues to develop through the influence of minority groups and Western cultures.

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Hong Kong

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The area now known as Hong Kong, came under the rule of China during the Qin Dynasty in 214BC and continued through to the Qing Dynasty which ended in 1842. Between 1842 and 1898 Britain seized control of Hong Kong (including the Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the new territories) following the First Opium War where China went to war with the British Kingdom over the British illegally trafficking opium into China. After the war, China ceded control over the the British. This allowed Britain to have more access to trade with China. In 1898 an agreement was reached between China and Britain, that allowed Britain to lease the territories of Hong Kong for 99 years. This was only interrupted for a short time during World War II, when the Japanese controlled Hong Kong for a a short time. In 1984 an agreement was signed between China and Great Britain, agreeing that on the handover in 1997 at the end of the 99 year lease, Hong Kong would continue to operate under current economic and social conditions for a further 50 years under the sovereignty of China.

 

As a result of both Chinese and British rule, the cuisine of Hong Kong has both Eastern and Western influences. Most of the population of Chinese people are mainly Cantonese, so many of the popular dishes have Cantonese origins. With the arrival of the British in 1942 this introduced Western foods to the cuisine including pastries and high tea. Tea restaurants and coffee shops became popular with a mix of Western and Eastern cuisine including soup noodles, fish ball rice noodles, wonton noodles, stir-fried rice noodles with beef, omelette, congee, assorted breads (eg. pineapple bread, egg and ham bread,  cakes, cookies and tarts (egg tarts) amongst the favourites.

 

Due to its geography, which has a lack of land mass and fertile soil, Hong Kong imports a lot of its food. There is only a small amount of food production including fruits, flowers and crops of sweet potato, taro, yams and sugar cane. There is very little livestock farming, and this is mainly pigs and chickens.

As Hong Kong it is bordered by sea, fishing is one of the main primary production activities and seafood forms a large part of their diet.  Steamed lumpfish, shark and abalone are all loved seafood items. 

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Macau

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Macau is a special administrative region of China. In the 16th century Guǎngzhōu officials allowed the Portuguese to build temporary shelters on the peninsula in exchange for customs duties and rent. The Portuguese also agreed to rid the area of pirates. The Portuguese traders developed Macau as a major trading post between China and japan. 

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​By the beginning of the 17th century Macau was home to 900 Portuguese and Christians from Malacca and Japan, and many slaves namely from the African continent. By the end of the century many Chinese people had emigrated across the border and the population was about 40,000. After three centuries of occupation the Portuguese pushed China for sovereignty over Macau, signing a treaty with China in 1887 recognising the sovereignty.

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During the 20th century Macau became a home to those fleeing wither civil war in China, those seeking refuge during WWII and from the Communists in China in 1949. In 1987, China and Portugal signed an agreement called the Sino-Portuguese Pact making Macau a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. On 20 December 1999, 442 years of Portuguese rule ended. The 663,400 population of Macau is now approximately 90% Chinese.

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This history has led to the Macanese Cuisine having a unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese ingredients. During the Portuguese occupation, many of the Chinese women married Portuguese men, with the women trying to cook dishes similar to what the men would have had at home.  Macanese Cuisine is considered to be one of the first fusion foods.

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There are very few natural resources in Macau, which is located on Southern coast of China and is a small peninsula jutting off the mainland from the province of Guangdong. The city of Macau itself, extends up a hillside. Some of the resources include fish from the Pearl River estuary and a small amount of vegetables and some poultry (chicken and eggs). Mainland China is the main source of food and other products. Staple Portuguese ingredients like garlic, onion, salt and pepper and used as well as a lot of Chinese and South-East Asian ingredients such as soy sauce and spices like turmeric and tamarind.

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