By: Tony Zheng, Paul Geary, Alexis Kmak, and Betsy Rice
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year Festival, is celebrated in the early months of each year. It begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese lunar calendar (Zhiyuan). The Chinese people have many customs and traditions in their celebration during this time of year. One of the most important aspects of their celebration is the food. Tangyuan, dumplings, Nian Gao, and spring rolls are among the most popular foods eaten during the Chinese Spring Festival each year.
People perform with a dragon during the Chinese New Year at the Nan Hau Temple . Credit: Hendrik van den Berg, Wikipedia Commons
Imagine walking outside and choking on the air you breath. Think of a world where you have to put a mask on your children to protect their lungs. Seeing the sun is a rare occurrence for you due to smog and pollution. This is not an imaginary world, this is China.
Tiananmen Square Covered in Smog, Photo by Getty Images.
When thinking about China, one of the first things that comes to mind is the food.
One of the myths that has been debunked throughout this course is the American perception of Chinese food. The first thing we associate with Chinese food are those take out boxes full of noodles, rice, maybe chicken or beef, and stir-fry dripping in sauce. Although that is our conception on Chinese food, it is the grossly Americanized fast food conception of the classic Chinese cuisine.
By: Meredith Butenhoff, Allyn Wiggins, Hattie Grant, & Brandon Bank
History of Mooncakes
Mooncakes (yue bing) were first made by the people of the Tang Dynasty to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This tradition passed on through dynasties, and became extremely popular during the Song Dynasty. Mooncakes were both sacrificed to the moon as offerings and eaten during worship of the celestial body. While the mooncake varies drastically by region, authors Carol Stepanchuk and Charles Wong tell us that “its perfectly round shape forming the ideal symbol of familial harmony and unity” is a constant throughout regions. Bigger mooncakes might have carvings of the Moon Palace and Moon Rabbit on them. The fillings typically changed by province ranging from sweet to salty, and from rich to bland. Today, it is not uncommon for mooncakes to be filled with bean paste, cocoanut paste, lotus seed paste or even an egg yolk.
Mooncakes were originally used as a way to pay tribute to the moon and Chang E, the “Moon Goddess” who allegedly lives in the Moon Palace and supervises the ritual. With their widespread consumption during the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is told that the cakes were conveniently used to organize a rebellion against the Mongol government during the Yaun Dynasty. This well known legend suggests that the time and location for the revolution against Kublai Khan’s descendants were sealed inside of mooncakes and sent to friends and family during the Mid-Autumn festival in 1353. Although many of the customary activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are disappearing, mooncakes remain an important part of the Chinese culture. Families and friends still gather together during the Mid-Autumn Festival and share modern day mooncakes that represent completeness, and remind them of Chinese tradition and history.
This is a Singaporean mooncake with a piece cut out to showcase the duck egg filling. Photo taken from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
By: Audrey Rotman, Betsy Morris, Katie Lee Crockett, and Alex Darras
Chin Chin, we are not in China anymore…
Although we dined at an “authentic” Chinese restaurant called Chin Chin, the food in China is prepared very differently. At Chin Chin, along with research, we discovered the Americanization of Chinese foods, especially of the two common staples, rice and noodles. Regional differences have created variation within meal preparation and typical cuisine. By eating our own “authentic” Chinese dishes, we were able to debunk the stereotypes of a true Chinese meal.
History of Rice
A rice field in China, where the nation’s diet staple is cultivated. Photo taken from MorgueFiles.
Rice historically stands as a native dish to southern China. The rice bowl, a metaphor for food, symbolizes well-being in general, and remains the most important cereal grain (Leppman 30). The Chinese make the rice in southern China short-grained and sticky and thus allowing easy use of chopsticks with the meal (Leppman 32). Rice continues to be a staple in the Chinese diet. Therefore, the Chinese keep a secure supply of this grain for the survival of all, rich and poor. 75% of China’s population are farmers (China: Food for a Billion Plus). The farmers play a major role in the production of rice, and if they suddenly couldn’t provide rice for the Chinese population, then people would go hungry. People serve rice at almost every meal because it brings not only Chinese people but also foreigners together.
History of Noodles
A wheat noodle from our restaurant experience. Photo taken by Katie Lee Crockett
Noodles typically form a part of northern China cuisine. Corn and wheat “dominate grain farming in northern China today” (Leppman pg. 33). China’s climate didn’t originally suit the growth of wheat, but during the Han dynasty, the development of the the production of noodles helped introduce wheat into Chinese agriculture (Leppman pg. 33). During the Song dynasty (960 – 1279), “noodles made from wheat became a common staple for both the rich and poor” (Leppman pg. 34). Therefore, noodles quickly developed into a popular dish due to the appealing taste and economic benefits. Rice and noodles both grew in popularity over the years, but notable regional differences ensued early on because of natural factors like the climate (Leppman pg 33). Such “regionalization of China into rice in the south and other grains in the north [were] in place by the Han dynasty (207 B.C. to A.D. 200); that same pattern endures today” (Leppman pg. 31).
By Caroline Wolcott, Lena Dufresne, Anna Walters, and Graham Robbins
Contaminated baby formula, water contaminated by sewage, and unsafe swimming conditions are frightening realities in China. These issues span over numerous aspects of everyday life including people’s eating habits, health, and lifestyle. A large percentage of this contamination can be attributed to many years of uncontrolled industrial pollution, seeing as though industry is a large majority of the Chinese economy.
A woman overlooks the polluted Yangtze River. Courtesy: Getty Images
