FLAVOR FEAST: Chicken with Chillies (Sichuan) (ROBIN)

Shark fin soup (Guangdong) (CHEE HONG)

Cantonese steamed fish (KENT WANG)

Anhui Cuisine - Anhui cuisine is known for its simplicity and use of wild herbs. The culinary tradition in this eastern Chinese province features braising and stewing. A typical course includes stewed soft shell turtle with ham, Huangshan braised pigeon and dried mushroom.

Fujian Cuisine - Fujian cuisine is well known for its soups. There is a saying of the southeastern coastal cuisine: "One broth can be changed into numerous (10) forms." It consists of three traditional styles: Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen. Seafood is a main component. One of the most famous Fujian dishes, "Buddha jumps over the wall" or fotiaoqiang, is supposed to be so good that even Buddha wouldn't be able to resist it. It mixes seafood, chicken, duck and pork, all slowly cooked in a rice-wine jar.

Hunan Cuisine - Known as the "land of fish and rice," Hunan, a province in south China, is famous for its spicy flavors, fresh aromas and richly colored dishes. It is also known for the generous use of chili peppers, shallots and garlic. Their dishes are said to help regulate body temperature in summer. Among the 4,000 dishes known are Mao's braised pork, steamed fish head in chili sauce and smoked pork with dried long green beans.

Cantonese Cuisine - Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese style is the most renowned at home and abroad. It boasts diverse ingredients, as the region's capital, Guangzhou, has long been a trading port. According to a popular saying, the Cantonese will eat any living creature that flies, crawls, walks or swims. Less spicy sauces are used in dishes to preserve original flavors. The sweet and sour pork, roasted meat and fried rice are famous. For breakfast, be sure to try dim sum – there are more than a hundred varieties of snacks available!

Huaiyang Cuisine – Huaiyang Cuisine is made up of dishes from Yangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou and Zhenjiang. It's especially popular in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Huaiyang cuisine is widely seen as the most popular and prestigious style of Jiangsu cooking. With an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, it also plays a lot with colors and shapes. "Lion's head" (pork meatball), braised spareribs, Yangzhou fried rice or steamed dumplings (xiao long bao) enjoy high reputation. None more so, though, than "Mandarin fish shaped like a squirrel," which was praised by the Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)as the "the number one dish in the world."

Sichuan Cuisine - This cuisine from the southwest is primarily known for its hot and spicy dishes and bold flavors. Sichuan peppercorn, the mouth-tingling spice, is a widely used ingredient, along with chili peppers, ginger, garlic and aromatics. Kung Pao chicken (lots of chili and peanuts), Mapo toufu (spicy bean curd) and shui zhu yu (fish boiled in oil with lots of chili and Sichuan peppercorn) are top choices. Don't worry; if you're not up to the challenge, Sichuan cuisine offers numerous non-spicy dishes like tea-smoked duck.

Zhejiang Cuisine – Zhejiang cuisine has a reputation for freshness, tenderness and the mellow fragrance of its dishes. It comprises the specialties of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing. Hangzhou's bamboo-filled cuisine is the most famous of the three. But Shaoxing's, with its poultry and freshwater fish specialties, and Ningbo's seafood dishes should not be forgotten. While in the eastern coastal province, don't miss Dongpo Pork (fried pork belly stewed in soy sauce and wine), beggar's chicken (wrapped in lotus leaves, packed in mud and slowly cooked in an oven), and shrimps cooked with Longjing tea leaves.

Shandong Cuisine - Last but not least, Shandong cuisine is an essential member of the Chinese culinary repertoire. It consists of two styles: the light, seafood styles of Jiaodong cooking, and soups from Jinan. Notable recipe ingredients here are seafood, corn, peanuts and grains. Steamed bread is preferred to rice, and the sweet and sour carp, supreme bean curd and bird's nest soup are a must-try.