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What's the difference between north and south China?

by shanghaiaway 8y ago

jedberg 8y ago
Very different foods. The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness.
- Zafira 8y ago
  > Very different foods. This I agree with, just like the US has varied cuisine depending on locale. > The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness. Citation needed, please.
  - tylerhou 8y ago
    >> The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness. > Citation needed, please. Not really true; here is an anti-citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_cuisine
    - greglindahl 8y ago
      Sichuan cuisine is renowned for having dishes/spices from many different places... which makes it not a good anti-example.
      - Zafira 8y ago
        It is assuredly not northern Chinese cuisine. I think the point that is being made here is that your original statements about the distinguishing characteristics between northern and southern Chinese food are incorrect on any level.
        greglindahl 8y ago
        Using a place which is intentionally pan-regional to make a statement about regions is not an anti-example. Also, I didn't make the original statement. And, no one said Sichuan was northern Chinese cuisine. So I'm a bit confused as to who and what you think you're responding to.
        Zafira 8y ago
        I cannot speak for the intent of the other person in this thread, but I was attempting to tie it back to your comment at the root of this thread, but based on your response it appears that the comments are intended to standalone. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Still, your comments about Chinese cuisine are strange. <strike> > The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness.- This is wrong, where did you get this information from? </strike> > Using a place which is intentionally pan-regional... How is Sichuan cuisine "pan-regional"? Can you elaborate, please?
        greglindahl 8y ago
        I didn't say the first quote -- that's twice you've misattributed the same thing -- and the second is what Chinese people tell me about Sichuan cuisine, that it incorporates spices and dishes from many neighboring regions.
        Zafira 8y ago
        Eep, I'm sorry. I should learn to read better. Totally was not trying to put words in your mouth. To your comment about Sichuan, I'm not sure I would be in the same camp as the people you've spoken with. Ultimately everyone shares culinary attributes to some degree, but it seems to be unique enough to have warranted being considered its own cuisine.
        greglindahl 8y ago
        The people I talked to didn't say it wasn't unique and wasn't its own cuisine.
      - tylerhou 8y ago
        Citation?
- Jommi 8y ago
  It's the complete other way around. Source: Lived in China, ask any Chinese person.
  - starky 8y ago
    It is understandable why they would think this. I've had multiple people from Guangdong refer to the food from the North as spicy, even though Sichuan, Hunan, and Chongqing are considered central China. To most people Southern Chinese food is just Cantonese food.
    - Markoff 8y ago
      that's just not truth, every Chinese is aware if difference between sichuanese/hunanese and Cantonese cuisine
      - starky 8y ago
        That isn't what I said at all. You are conflating two separate statements there.
- torgian 8y ago
  Sitting next to my Chinese girlfriend in Chongqing. Sichuan food is “麻”, which is a way to say it makes your tongue numb. Not “spicy” (though to me it’s very spicy). North China food is normal, not spicy ( like dumplings, baozi, and such). South China food is “清淡” , or something that is light. Typically this applies to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Taiwan, etc. But east China (shanghai, jiangsu, ) is sweet food
forkLding 8y ago
North is generally colder in climate to the more tropical and warmer South, Northern Chinese traditionally eat grains and wheat-based foods like baozi and jiaozi (dumplings) while Southern Chinese will eat rice and rice-flour based foods like rice noodles. Northern China was occasionally under the influence of nomadic powers which shaped its culture. Southern culture is shaped by the gradual immigration of Han Chinese peoples from the North and assimilation of the native peoples into Han Chinese. Roughly before 1000 AD, Northern China was more economically powerful and the South was generally a hinterland while roughly after 1000 AD Southern China was more economically powerful (for example, see Guangdong/Canton region). Non-Han tribal minorities in the North tend to be descended off nomadic horse tribes while in the South they are usually descended off river and mountain-based tribes. As of Modern China, the North tends to be politically powerful as it is dominated by Beijing while the South tends to be economically powerful, dominated by Shanghai, Guangdong/Canton, Shenzhen, etc. For more info, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_and_southern_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_and_southern_China To some degree, similar to the North-South Indian cultural divide if you want to look that up too.
jhanschoo 8y ago
To add on to the informative sibling comment, historically South China communities have been more isolated from each other due to its rugged terrain, whereas North China has been dominated by its plains, especially the central plain. Hence the phenomenon that in the North, historically, Mandarin dominated as the lingua franca, whereas the south was host to a staggering variety of Chinese languages.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

What's the difference between north and south China?

jedberg 8y ago

Very different foods. The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness.

Zafira 8y ago
> Very different foods. This I agree with, just like the US has varied cuisine depending on locale. > The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness. Citation needed, please.
- tylerhou 8y ago
  >> The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness. > Citation needed, please. Not really true; here is an anti-citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_cuisine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_cuisine
  - greglindahl 8y ago
    Sichuan cuisine is renowned for having dishes/spices from many different places... which makes it not a good anti-example.
    - Zafira 8y ago
      It is assuredly not northern Chinese cuisine. I think the point that is being made here is that your original statements about the distinguishing characteristics between northern and southern Chinese food are incorrect on any level.
      - greglindahl 8y ago
        Using a place which is intentionally pan-regional to make a statement about regions is not an anti-example. Also, I didn't make the original statement. And, no one said Sichuan was northern Chinese cuisine. So I'm a bit confused as to who and what you think you're responding to.
        Zafira 8y ago
        I cannot speak for the intent of the other person in this thread, but I was attempting to tie it back to your comment at the root of this thread, but based on your response it appears that the comments are intended to standalone. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Still, your comments about Chinese cuisine are strange. <strike> > The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness.- This is wrong, where did you get this information from? </strike> > Using a place which is intentionally pan-regional... How is Sichuan cuisine "pan-regional"? Can you elaborate, please?
        greglindahl 8y ago
        I didn't say the first quote -- that's twice you've misattributed the same thing -- and the second is what Chinese people tell me about Sichuan cuisine, that it incorporates spices and dishes from many neighboring regions.
        Zafira 8y ago
        Eep, I'm sorry. I should learn to read better. Totally was not trying to put words in your mouth. To your comment about Sichuan, I'm not sure I would be in the same camp as the people you've spoken with. Ultimately everyone shares culinary attributes to some degree, but it seems to be unique enough to have warranted being considered its own cuisine.
        greglindahl 8y ago
        The people I talked to didn't say it wasn't unique and wasn't its own cuisine.
    - tylerhou 8y ago
      Citation?
Jommi 8y ago
It's the complete other way around. Source: Lived in China, ask any Chinese person.
- starky 8y ago
  It is understandable why they would think this. I've had multiple people from Guangdong refer to the food from the North as spicy, even though Sichuan, Hunan, and Chongqing are considered central China. To most people Southern Chinese food is just Cantonese food.
  - Markoff 8y ago
    that's just not truth, every Chinese is aware if difference between sichuanese/hunanese and Cantonese cuisine
    - starky 8y ago
      That isn't what I said at all. You are conflating two separate statements there.
torgian 8y ago
Sitting next to my Chinese girlfriend in Chongqing. Sichuan food is “麻”, which is a way to say it makes your tongue numb. Not “spicy” (though to me it’s very spicy). North China food is normal, not spicy ( like dumplings, baozi, and such). South China food is “清淡” , or something that is light. Typically this applies to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Taiwan, etc. But east China (shanghai, jiangsu, ) is sweet food

forkLding 8y ago

North is generally colder in climate to the more tropical and warmer South, Northern Chinese traditionally eat grains and wheat-based foods like baozi and jiaozi (dumplings) while Southern Chinese will eat rice and rice-flour based foods like rice noodles. Northern China was occasionally under the influence of nomadic powers which shaped its culture. Southern culture is shaped by the gradual immigration of Han Chinese peoples from the North and assimilation of the native peoples into Han Chinese. Roughly before 1000 AD, Northern China was more economically powerful and the South was generally a hinterland while roughly after 1000 AD Southern China was more economically powerful (for example, see Guangdong/Canton region). Non-Han tribal minorities in the North tend to be descended off nomadic horse tribes while in the South they are usually descended off river and mountain-based tribes. As of Modern China, the North tends to be politically powerful as it is dominated by Beijing while the South tends to be economically powerful, dominated by Shanghai, Guangdong/Canton, Shenzhen, etc. For more info, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_and_southern_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_and_southern_China To some degree, similar to the North-South Indian cultural divide if you want to look that up too.

jhanschoo 8y ago

To add on to the informative sibling comment, historically South China communities have been more isolated from each other due to its rugged terrain, whereas North China has been dominated by its plains, especially the central plain. Hence the phenomenon that in the North, historically, Mandarin dominated as the lingua franca, whereas the south was host to a staggering variety of Chinese languages.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]