“To the people, food is heaven.” This is a famous old saying in China, which means that food is people’s primal need. Although it has been put on different interpretations, this old saying should clearly justify the importance that “eating” holds in Chinese people’s lives. Cooking and eating has likely played a bigger role as a constitutive element of culture in China than in any other parts of the world. This course will introduce the different Chinese Cuisines, such as Shandong Cuisine, Cantonese Cuisine, Huaiyang Cuisine and Sichuan Cuisine among others, in their geographic and historic contexts, focusing on the main features, the representative dishes, related historical figures and/or stories of each of them. The introduction will cover both the various traditional Chinese food, which are associated with specific traditional Chinese festivals, such as mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival; and some modern popular food among the young people, such as the bubble tea. You will also have the chance to take a look at some unique food and eating habits in China in this course.