Famous Figures

Before Confucius was a sage, he was a food critic. His Analects contain Chinese cuisine's first documented dietary principles—rules that still echo in Chinese kitchens today:

"Rice should be polished, meat cut fine."

"Food that had lost its color, he would not eat. Food that had a bad smell, he would not eat. Food improperly cooked, he would not eat. Food not in season, he would not eat."

Confucius established that how we eat is a moral matter. Correct food preparation, proper serving order, seasonal eating—these aren't preferences but ethics.

Before Confucius, before recorded history, there was Yi Yin—possibly China's first celebrity chef. Legend holds he was a slave who became prime minister to King Tang of Shang, using cooking as metaphor for governance:

"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish—handle gently."

Yi Yin's Ben Wei Pian (本味篇, "Essay on the Original Flavor") is Chinese cuisine's oldest theoretical text, emphasizing ingredient purity and the transformative power of heat.

Su Dongpo (also known as Su Shi) was Song Dynasty China's greatest poet—and its most famous foodie. Exiled to Hangzhou for political differences, he did what any genius would: he invented new dishes.

Dongpo Pork (东坡肉) is his masterpiece—pork belly slow-braised in Shaoxing wine, soy, and sugar until it becomes pure silk. He wrote poems about it:

"Wash the pot clean, use little water
Let the flame not burn too high
Just keep simmering, don't disturb it
When the time is right, it becomes delicious"

This is the first published recipe in Chinese history by a named author.

Yuan Mei's Suiyuan Shidan (随园食单, "Recipes from the Garden of Contentment") is Chinese cuisine's first comprehensive cookbook—and still one of its best. A retired Qing official turned epicurean, Yuan Mei documented recipes, techniques, and opinions with literary flair:

"People love to eat, but few know how to eat."

The book contains over 300 recipes, organized by ingredient and method, with commentary that remains relevant. Yuan Mei championed fresh ingredients over elaborate preparations, seasonal eating, and the importance of the cook's intention.

The sixth Qing emperor was Chinese food's greatest patron and documented fanatic. His six tours of southern China were essentially imperial food journeys, during which he "discovered" (and probably invented stories about) dozens of dishes.

He allegedly:

• Named Beggar's Chicken after trying it during a southern tour
• Promoted Yangzhou fried rice to imperial status
• Commissioned the legendary "Man-Han Full Banquet" (满汉全席)
• Kept detailed records of palace cuisine

When Cecilia Chiang opened The Mandarin in San Francisco in 1961, American Chinese food was chop suey and fortune cookies. She introduced authentic Mandarin and Sichuan cuisine to a Western audience, refusing to dumb down flavors for American palates.

Her restaurant became a proving ground for chefs who would shape American gastronomy. She trained Alice Waters's future collaborators. She proved that respecting diners meant challenging them.

"Yan Can Cook, and So Can You!" For generations of Americans, Martin Yan's PBS show was their introduction to Chinese cooking. His charisma, knife skills, and ability to make technique accessible democratized Chinese cuisine.

Yan's genius was making Chinese cooking approachable without making it simple. He demonstrated proper technique while convincing home cooks they could achieve it.

A British food writer who did something radical: she actually went to China, studied formally at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine, and learned to cook like a Chinese chef. Her books are Western Chinese cooking's most authoritative texts.

Dunlop doesn't simplify; she translates. She explains the why behind techniques, the culture behind ingredients, the philosophy behind flavors. For serious Western cooks, her work is essential.

Grace Young's mission is simple: save the wok. Her books document traditional wok technique at a moment when it risks being forgotten.

Young traveled to find the last traditional wok makers, interviewed grandmothers about techniques, and preserved knowledge that was disappearing. Her work is culinary anthropology.

Irene Kuo's The Key to Chinese Cooking (1977) remains the most comprehensive technical manual on Chinese cooking ever published in English. A former chemistry professor, she approached cooking with scientific precision—explaining why techniques work, not just how to execute them.

Her influence on professional Western chefs exploring Chinese cuisine cannot be overstated.

Chef-owner of Mister Jiu's in San Francisco, Brandon Jew represents Chinese-American cooking's current moment—Cantonese tradition filtered through California ingredient consciousness.

His Michelin-starred restaurant proves that Chinese cuisine can be as progressive and ingredient-focused as any Nordic temple.

Eugene Anderson's The Food of China is the definitive scholarly history of Chinese cuisine—anthropology, history, and food science combined. For understanding the why behind Chinese food culture, his work is foundational.

Through books like From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking, The Chinese Kitchen, and Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo has documented home cooking traditions that might otherwise be lost.

Her focus on regional specificity and technique preserves knowledge for future generations.

Carolyn Phillips's All Under Heaven maps Chinese cuisine's regional diversity with unprecedented comprehensiveness in English. Her work makes the eight great cuisines (and beyond) accessible to Western cooks seeking depth.