Local Chinese Cuisines
2 min readIt is widely acknowledged that from the Ming（1368-1644）and Qing（1616-1911）dynasties onwards，there arose eight schools of cuisine，respectively from Shandong，Sichuan，Guangdong，Fujian，Jiangsu，Zhejiang，Hunan，and Anhui provinces.In addition to these traditional cuisines，the culinary industry in China has undergone great changes，as almost every place has its own local specialties，just as different cuisines have gathered in one place.
In big cities like Beijing，Shanghai and Guangzhou，one can taste all the familiar and famed dishes from around the country.
Aslimpse of slender West Lake in rangzhou，jiangsu Province Sichuan，known as Nature’s Storehouse，is also a storehouse of cuisine.Here，each and every restaurant provides delicious yet economic culinary fare.The ingredients for Sichuan cuisine are simple but the spices used are quite different.Sichuan cuisine is famous for its spicy and hot food，yet just being hot and spicy does not necessarily distinguish it from other hot and spicy cuisines such as Hunan or Guizhou cuisine.What is really special about Sichuan cuisine is the use of Chinese prickly ash seeds，the taste of which leaves a feeling of numbness on one’s tongue and mouth.Besides this unique spice，Sichuan dishes are also usually prepared with other spices like chili pepper.Using fermented bean sauce and a set of unique cooking methods，Sichuan cuisine is now famous and popular across the world.Over recent years，there have appeared many more renowned restaurants specializing in Sichuan cuisine，such as Tan.
Family Fish Head.
Guangdong Province is located in southern China, with a moderate climate and abundant produce all year round. As one of the earliest ports open to foreign trade, the province has developed a culinary culture with its own characteristics that has exerted a far-reaching influence on other parts of China. Guangdong cuisine is famous for its seafood as well as for its originality and refined cooking processes. Various soups in this cuisine have become loved by people all over the country.
Zhejiang cuisine is light and exquisite, as representative of food from along the lower Yangtze River. One famous dish is West Lake Vinegar Fish, which looks delicate and tastes tender, with the refreshing flavors of nature. Many Chinese restaurants in China, as wellas other parts of the world, serve this dish, but usually with less authentic flavor compared to that found in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, which has unique access to the fish and water from West Lake.
