chinese cuisine is a creative and, sometimes intricate affair, which more resembles an art than an operation of necessity - the food is often characterized by vibrant colors, flavors and aromas, which are spread across a myriad of dishes, teas and drinks, catering for a huge variety of tastes.

chinese cooking has been cultivated and refined over the course of thousands of years, making it one of the oldest cuisines in the world, however, it was during the chou dynasty, between 1122 - 248 b. c., that the chinese style began to develop into the food that is so common today.

it was during this period that chinese cooking was heavily influenced by the philosophies of confucianism and taoism - confucianism, inspired by confucius, established proper table etiquette, as well standards of quality and taste, blending all the various ingredients in harmony, to establish the perfect flavor - the philosophy also emphasized texture and color as part of the dish.