Chinese cuisine may probably be geographically divided into four categories①. The dishes that are produced in the area around the Yellow River are called Shandong cuisine. Those dishes produced on the upper reaches of the Changjiang River are Sichuan cuisine②. The dishes enjoyed by the people along the lower reaches of the Changjiang River are Jiangsu cuisine. And finally the dishes that are popular along the Pearl River are Guangdong cuisine.They are the four famous food schools in Chinese cookery， and form the principal part of Chinese cuisine.
Shandong cuisine is the representative③ of the dishes of North China， which includes Beijing dishes， Shandong dishes， etc. Among them， Beijing dishes are best at sautéing， baking， chafing， quick-frying and braising. Shandong dishes are famous for their delicate fragrance， fresh tenderness and pure tastes， and can be divided into Jinan dishes and Jiaodong dishes.
Sichuan cuisine has a long history which originated from the ancient kingdoms of the Ba and Shu.After the late period of the Qing Dynasty it gradually formed a food school rich in its own typical local flavors. It’s characterized by having light and strong， hot and peppery flavor， known as “One dish one taste. Hundred dishes hundred tastes.” It’s represented by the delicacies from Chengdu， Chongqing and Zigong each in the west， east and middle south of Sichuan respectively. During the long and common development， it has formed its unique style characterized by the diversity in the use of seasonings， the unique culinary skills， the great variety of cooking ingredients④， the changes in styles and the adaptability to all tastes. It can be found everywhere in the world.
Jiangsu cuisine is famous both at home and abroad for its unique history and characteristics. It is characterized by strict selection of ingredients and meticulous⑤ preparation. The ingredients are mainly freshwater products， which are seasonal， tender and fresh. It stresses on the degree and duration of heating and its skill in stewing. Through the regulation of the degree and duration of heating， dishes of different characteristics can be made. They can be either fresh， fragrant， crisp， tender， sticky or well-down. Jiangsu cuisine has assimilated the fresh， crisp and sweet characteristics of southern dishes as well as the salt and colorful character of northern dishes and formed its own flavor. As a result， its dishes have both salt and sweet tastes. Jiangsu cooks are quite skillful at shaping and coloring dishes. Jiangsu cuisine is highly artistic in that it attaches importance to the organic combination of colors and utensils， the proper proportions of meat and vegetables and its cultural characteristics.
Guangdong cuisine is well-known the world over for its flavours of South China and has a style of its own by merging the strong points of the Beijing， Jiangsu and Huaiyang dishes and absorbing such features of the western style food as shallow frying and deep frying. As it’s quite delicious and appealing， there has gone a saying that “A feast for the gods is in Guangzhou”. In Guangdong dishes， the use of materials is very extensive and almost nothing short of birds， beasts， fishes， snakes， or even insects is expected from range of food， which causes their superiority over other local dishes. As Guangdong is warm in winter and has more summer days and its average temperature is higher， people， in general， like light tastes， resulting in the stress of Guangdong dishes on lightness， crispness⑥ and tastiness. They are exquisite in preparation， diversified in colors and patterns and artistic and novel in appearance.
It is these delicious and delicate local dishes of different patterns and styles that constitute the distinctive characteristics of Chinese cuisine.
① categoryn. 种类；部属；类目
② cuisinen. 菜肴；烹饪；烹调法
③ representativen. 典型，代表物 adj. 典型的
④ ingredientn. (混合物的)组成部分；(烹调的)原料
⑤ meticulousadj. 过分精细的；小心翼翼的；严密的
⑥ crispnessn. 酥脆；干爽，爽快
中国菜的构成
中国菜从地理上大致可分为四个大类。它们是黄河流域的鲁菜，长江上游的川菜，长江下游的苏菜和珠江流域的粤菜。这就是中国著名的四大菜系，它们共同构成了中国菜肴的主体。
鲁菜是中国北方菜的代表，它包括北京菜、山东菜等。其中，北京菜的烹制以炒、烤、涮、煎、扒见长。山东菜由济南菜和胶东菜两大部分组成，以清香鲜嫩，口味纯正而著称。
川菜有着悠久的历史。它发源于古代巴国和蜀国，到晚清逐步形成了有着极其浓郁的地方风味的菜系。它具有清鲜醇浓、麻辣辛香，“一菜一味，百菜百味”的独特风味。它以川西平原的成都市、川东的重庆市和川中南的自贡市的美味佳肴为其代表，在漫长的共同发展过程中形成了自己独特的风格：调味多样、烹饪独到、取材广泛、菜式纷呈、适应性强。世界各地都能见到它的身影。
苏菜以其独特的历史风貌和个性风味享誉海内外。它取材严格，制作精细。在选料上以淡水水鲜为主，以时令、鲜嫩为佳。注重火工，擅长炖焖，借火工的调节来体现菜肴的鲜、香、酥、脆、嫩、糯、烂等不同特点。苏菜既吸取了南方菜鲜、脆、甜的特色，又融入了北方菜味咸色浓的特点，形成了自己甜咸适中，咸中微甜的风味。苏菜的造型与着色手法高明，注重色彩和器皿的有机结合、晕素菜肴的理想组配和文化特征的生动体现，展现出精美的艺术性。
粤菜以其浓郁的南国风味而闻名于世。它取京菜、江淮菜之精华，融合西餐菜点煎炒、油炸之特点而形成自己独有的风格。由于粤菜味道鲜美而诱人胃口，于是便有了“吃在广州”的说法。粤菜用料极其广泛，鸟禽、兽类、鱼、蛇甚至昆虫都可用来烹制菜肴，正是在这点上粤菜较之其它地方菜更胜一筹。由于广东冬季暖和，夏季更长，平均气温也更高，人们通常喜好清淡的口味，这就导致了粤菜更注重清淡平和、酥脆爽口、鲜嫩香美。粤菜制做精细，色彩款式富于变化，造型新奇而极富艺术性。
正是这些多姿多彩、风味别致的美味佳肴构成了具有鲜明民族特色的中国菜。