China covers a large territory and has many nationalities, hence a variety of Chinese food with different but fantastic and mouthwatering flavor. Since China's local dishes have their own typical characteristics, generally, Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, which has been widely accepted around. Certainly, there are many other local cuisines that are famous, such as Beijing Cuisine and Shanghai Cuisine.

Shandong Cuisine

Consisting of Jinan cuisine and Jiaodong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, clear, pure and not greasy, is characterized by its emphasis on aroma, freshness, crispness and tenderness. Shallot and garlic are usually used as seasonings so Shangdong dishes tastes pungent usually. Soups are given much emphasis in Shangdong dishes. Thin soup features clear and fresh while creamy soup looks thick and tastes strong. Jinan cuisine is adept at deep-frying, grilling, frying and stir-frying while Jiaodong division is famous for cooking seafood with fresh and light taste.

Shandong is the birthplace of many famous ancient scholars such as Confucious and Mencius. And much of Shandong cuisine's history is as old as Confucious himself, making it the oldest existing major cuisine in China. But don't expect to gain more wisdom from a fortune cookie at a Shandong restaurant in the West since fortune cookies aren't even indigenous to China.

Shandong is a large peninsula surrounded by the sea to the East and the Yellow River meandering through the center. As a result, seafood is a major component of Shandong cuisine. Shandong's most famous dish is the Sweat and Sour Carp. A truly authentic Sweet and Sour Carp must come from the Yellow River. But with the current amount of pollution in the Yellow River, you would be better off if the carp was from elsewhere. Shandong dishes are mainly quick-fried, roasted, stir-fried or deep-fried. The dishes are mainly clear, fresh and fatty, perfect with Shandong's own famous beer, Qingdao Beer

Sichuan Cuisine

Sichuan Cuisine, known often in the West as Szechuan Cuisine, is one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world. Characterized by its spicy and pungent flavor, Sichuan cuisine, prolific of tastes, emphasizes on the use of chili. Pepper and prickly ash also never fail to accompany, producing typical exciting tastes. Besides, garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Wild vegetables and animals are usually chosen as ingredients, while frying, frying without oil, pickling and braising are applied as basic cooking techniques. It cannot be said that one who does not experience Sichuan food ever reaches China.

If you eat Sichuan cuisine and find it too bland, then you are probably not eating authentic Sichuan cuisine. Chili peppers and prickly ash are used in many dishes, giving it a distinctively spicy taste, called ma in Chinese. It often leaves a slight numb sensation in the mouth. However, most peppers were brought to China from the Americas in the 18th century so you can thank global trade for much of Sichuan cuisine's excellence. Sichuan hot pots are perhaps the most famous hotpots in the world, most notably the Yuan Yang （mandarin duck） Hotpot half spicy and half clear.

Guangdong Cuisine

Cantonese food originates from Guangdong, the southernmost province in China. The majority of overseas Chinese people are from Guangdong （Canton） so Cantonese is perhaps the most widely available Chinese regional cuisine outside of China.

Cantonese are known to have an adventurous palate, able to eat many different kinds of meats and vegetables. In fact, people in Northern China often say that Cantonese people will eat anything that flies except airplanes, anything that moves on the ground except trains, and anything that moves in the water except boats. This statement is far from the truth, but Cantonese food is easily one of the most diverse and richest cuisines in China. Many vegetables originate from other parts of the world. It doesn't use much spice, bringing out the natural flavor of the vegetables and meats.

Tasting clear, light, crisp and fresh, Guangdong cuisine, familiar to Westerners, usually chooses raptors and beasts to produce originative dishes. Its basic cooking techniques include roasting, stir-frying, sauteing, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming. Among them steaming and stir-frying are more commonly applied to preserve the natural flavor. Guangdong chefs also pay much attention to the artistic presentation of dishes.

Fujian Cuisine

Consisting of Fuzhou Cuisine, Quanzhou Cuisine and Xiamen Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine is distinguished for its choice seafood, beautiful color and magic taste of sweet, sour, salty and savory. The most distinct features are their "pickled taste".

Jiangsu Cuisine

Jiangsu Cuisine, also called Huaiyang Cuisine, is popular in the lower reach of the Yangtze River. Aquatics as the main ingredients, it stresses the freshness of materials. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known. Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, simmering, etc. The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is light, fresh and sweet and with delicate elegance. Jiangsu cuisine is well known for its careful selection of ingredients, its meticulous preparation methodology, and its not-too-spicy, not-too-bland taste. Since the seasons vary in climate considerably in Jiangsu, the cuisine also varies throughout the year. If the flavor is strong, it isn't too heavy; if light, not too bland.

Zhejiang Cuisine

Comprising local cuisines of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing, Zhejiang Cuisine, not greasy, wins its reputation for freshness, tenderness, softness, smoothness of its dishes with mellow fragrance. Hangzhou Cuisine is the most famous one among the three.

Hunan cuisine

Hunan cuisine consists of local Cuisines of Xiangjiang Region, Dongting Lake and Xiangxi coteau. It characterizes itself by thick and pungent flavor. Chili, pepper and shallot are usually necessaries in this division.

Anhui Cuisine

Anhui Cuisine chefs focus much more attention on the temperature in cooking and are good at braising and stewing. Often hams will be added to improve taste and sugar candy added to gain

中國地域遼闊，民族眾多，因此各種中國飲食口味不同，卻都味美，令人垂涎。因為中國地方菜肴各具特色，總體來講，中國飲食可以大致分為八大地方菜系，這種分類已被廣為接受。當然，還有其他很多著名的地方菜系，例如北京菜和上海菜。

山東菜系

山東菜系，由濟南菜系和膠東菜系組成，清淡，不油膩，以其香，鮮，酥，軟而聞名。因為使用青蔥和大蒜做為調料，山東菜系通常很辣。山東菜系注重湯品。清湯清澈新鮮，而油湯外觀厚重，味道濃重。濟南菜系擅長炸，烤，煎，炒，而膠東菜系則以其烹飪海鮮的鮮淡而聞名。

山東是許多著名學者的故鄉，例如孔夫子和孟子。許多山東菜的歷史和孔夫子一樣悠久，使得山東菜系成為中國現存的最古老的主要菜系之一。但是不要期望在西方國家的山東菜館里從簽餅(中國餐館的折疊形小餅,內藏有預測運氣話語的紙條)獲得更多的好運氣，因為簽餅在中國也不是本土的。

山東是個巨大的被向東流去的大海環繞的半島，黃河曲折的流經其中部。因此海鮮是山東菜系的主要構成。山東最著名的菜肴是糖醋鯉魚。正宗的糖醋鯉魚必須打撈自黃河。但是因為現在黃河的眾多污染，其他地方的鯉魚更好一些。山東菜主要是速炸，燒烤，炒或深炸。菜肴清新肥美，搭配山東本地的著名啤酒——青島啤酒就完美了。

四川菜系

四川菜系，是世界上最著名的中國菜系之一。四川菜系以其香辣而聞名，味道多變，著重使用紅辣椒，搭配使用青椒和prickly ash，產生出經典的刺激的味道。此外，大蒜，姜和豆豉也被應用于烹飪過程中。野菜和野禽常被選用為原料，油炸，無油炸，腌制和文火燉煮是基本的烹飪技術。沒有品嘗過四川菜的人不算來過中國。

如果你吃四川菜，發現它過于柔和，那么你可能吃的不是正宗的四川菜。紅綠辣椒被用在許多菜肴中，帶來特別的辣味，在中國文字里叫麻，通常會在口中留下麻木的感覺。然而，多數青椒是在18世紀從美國傳入中國的，因此你應當為四川菜的精妙而感謝全球貿易。四川火鍋也許是世界上最出名的火鍋，尤其是半辣半清的鴛鴦火鍋。

廣東菜系

廣東菜源自于中國最南部的省份廣東省。大多數華僑來自廣東，因此廣東菜也許是國外最廣泛的中國地方菜系。

廣東人熱衷于嘗試用各種不同的肉類和蔬菜。事實上，中國北方人常說，廣東人吃天上飛的，除了飛機；地上爬的，除了火車；水里游的，除了船兒。這一陳述很不屬實，但是廣東菜是各類豐富的中國菜系之一。使用很多來自世界其他地方的蔬菜，不大使用辣椒，而是帶出蔬菜和肉類自身的風味。

廣東菜系，味道清，淡，脆，鮮，為西方人所熟知，常用猛禽走獸來烹飪出有創意的菜肴。它的基礎烹飪方法包括烤，炒，煸，深炸，烤，燉和蒸。其中蒸和炒最常用于保存天然風味。廣東廚師也注重于菜肴的藝術感。

福建菜系

福建菜系由福州菜，泉州菜，廈門菜組成，以其精選的海鮮，漂亮的色澤，甜，酸，咸和香的味道而出名。最特別的是它的“鹵味”。

江蘇菜系

江蘇菜，又叫淮陽菜，流行于在淮陽湖下流。以水產作為主要原料，注重原料的鮮味。其雕刻技術十分珍貴，其中瓜雕尤其著名。烹飪技術包括燉，烤，焙，煨等。淮陽菜的特色是淡，鮮，甜，雅。江蘇菜系以其精選的原料，精細的準備，不辣不溫的口感而出名。因為江蘇氣候變化很大，江蘇菜系在一年之中也有變化。味道強而不重，淡而不溫。

浙江菜系

浙江菜系由杭州菜，寧波菜，紹興菜，組成，不油膩，以其菜肴的鮮，柔，滑，香而聞名。杭州菜是這三者中最出名的一個。

湖南菜系

湖南菜系由湘江地區，洞亭湖和湘西的地方菜肴組成。它以其極辣的味道為特色。紅辣椒，青辣椒和青蔥在這一菜系中的必備品。

安徽菜系

安徽廚師注重于烹飪的溫度，擅長煨燉。通常會加入火腿和方糖來改善菜肴的味道。