in many ways modern China can seem sameish. All over the country, the same identikit modern buildings, the same brands, the same clothes. But as Chen Xiaoqing, the director of the smash hit TV series A Bite of China, once said to me, while regional diversity in Chinese attire, handicrafts, architecture, folk music and even dialects diminishes daily, the same quality lives on, vibrantly, in the food. Even after the destruction of the Cultural Revolution, Chinese food bounced back in a glittering kaleidoscope of colours.
