Ask people for a list of things China is famous for and you might expect a healthy dose of sarcasm.
But cast aside cynicism and you’ll find a number of incredible things China does best.
We’ve got 10 of them right here.
Pork
As the first place to domesticate pigs, we can be sure China knows a thing or two about making pork delicious.
According to the U.S. National Pork Board, the earliest evidence of domestication of the wild boar can be dated to 4900 BC in China.
Historically, the animal has been so integral to Chinese society that the Chinese character for “home” is a pictogram of a pig with a roof over its head.
Today, China is the world’s top producer and consumer of hogs — and, wow, how it’s consumed.
There are arguably two pinnacles of pork cooking in China: dongbo rou, a glistening block of braised pork belly prized for the melt-in-mouth fat and char siu, a sweet-salty cut of meat barbecued til tender and smoky.
Both dishes are tricky and time-consuming to create, but so worth it.
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The humble dumpling has been elevated to art form in China.
Nowhere can you find a diversity and sophistication that matches China’s exhaustive list of dumpling variations.
Sure, many cuisines boast a savory or sweet dumpling, maybe even a fried dumpling, but China’s got dumplings with transparent wrappers (the classic dim sum, har gow), dumplings in a mouth-numbing sauce (Sichuan’s signature longchaoshou), dumplings that burst with soup at first bite (xiaolongbao), dumplings made with fish meat dough (Chiu Chow-style) … let’s just stop there or we’ll be here all day.
The dumpling is also a marker of auspicious things in China: families gather during New Year celebrations to wrap and eat dumplings together in the hope of prosperous times ahead.
Olympic opening ceremonies
The world is still shaking in its boots from the raucous display of totalitarian jazz hands that opened the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
Whether you saw it as a spectacle of precision showmanship or the result of a lockstep society trying to freak out the entire planet, there’s no denying it was the opening ceremony that made all others tremble in shock and awe.
The hour-long cinematic showcase, directed by celebrated filmmaker Zhang Yimou, incorporated every Chinese art form, from ink painting to acrobatics to tai chi and opera.
It succeeded in stirring patriotism at home and inspiring new fans abroad during an Olympics fraught with political tension and human rights issues.
Hong Kong-based freelancer Zoe Li writes regularly on Chinese art, culture, food and travel.
