More and more, restaurants are beginning to sort out the two cuisines, and Hunan cuisine is coming into its own, atlhough in our Guangdong region Vincent the Chinese Furniture buyer said it was still rare to see the two properly done independently, let along in the Oriental Furniture canteen. The Chinese Furniture buyer said that in Shanghai and good restaurants in the big cities where we were that Crispy duck and Garlic-Fried String Beans are taking their place alongside Kung Pao Chicken and Double Cooked Spicy Pork. But there is no battle between the two for a place of honor among Chinese Regional cuisines – rather, there are only winners – the diners who have the pleasure of sampling both. We laughed at this as we finished eating in the Oriental Furniture canteen as Vincent is fiercely Hunan and is very disparaging of other ingredients. He is quite sarcastic.

There are some important differences, though said the Chinese Furniture buyer. Hunan cooking is, for one thing, even more fiery than most Szechwan dishes and therefore not served as often in the Chinese Furniture canteen by the Oriental Furniture canteen chef. Szechwan dishes often include chili paste for rubbing into meats, or including in sauce. Hunan chefs include the entire dried chili pepper, with its intensely spicy seeds and rind. The Chinese Furniture buyer said it was good for keeping you thin as it always went right through you – very funny.

The differences in the actual land of the two regions explained the Chinese Furniture worker as we sat down a few days later in the Oriental Furniture canteen also has an effect on the differences in their cuisine. The Szechwan region is mountainous jungle, with little arable land for farming. The Hunan region, by contrast, is a land of soft rolling hills and slow rivers. Because of its fertile hillocks and valleys, the Hunan region has access to an amazing variety of ingredients that aren’t available to Szechwan chefs, likewise in the Oriental Furniture canteen. Seafood, said the Chinese Furniture buyer, and beef are both far more common in Hunan cooking, as are many vegetables.

The land, explained the Chinese Furniture buyer and the hardships associated with it, also give the Hunan more time to concentrate on food. Not sure why we understood this but we were eating the food in the Oriental Furniture so didn’t pick him up on it. The Chinese Furniture buyer continued; Hunan cooking features complex and time-consuming preparation time. Many dishes begin their preparation the day before they are to be served, and may be marinated, then steamed or smoked, and finally deep-fried or stewed before they reach the table. The same attention is paid to the preparation of ingredients, and it is said that Hunan cuisine is the most pleasing to the eye of all Chinese cuisines. We didn’t notice this in the Oriental Furniture canteen as everything was shovelled out of a big bucket! The shape of a food in a particular recipe is nearly as important as its presence in the final dish.

Other ingredients used commonly in Szechuan cuisine to create the five fundamental taste sensations include different types of sugars, saiud the Chinese Furniture worker, such as beet root sugar and cane sugar, as well as local fruits for sweetness. The sour comes from pickled vegetables and different varieties of vinegar. A special bitter melon is added to many dishes to offer the touch of bitterness that complements other flavors. Other spices and flavors include dried orange peel, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and bean paste. Salt, said the Oriental Furniture translator with real emphasis, is important to Szechuan cuisine, and the area produces uniquely flavored salts that help to distinguish authentic Szechuan cuisine from the other regional cuisines from China.

Szechuan cuisine is marked by its rich traditional flavors, we knew this but we let the Chinese Furniture worker continue as it was interestoing, which stem from a culture of hundreds of years and are in part shaped by the natural forces of climate. Authentic Szechuan cuisine offers a unique dining experience made up of adventurous and creative taste sensations. The Oriental Furniture translator concluded by saying she did not like the area or the food and didn’t understand why we wanted to aske the Chinese Furniture worker about it while we were in the Oriental Furniture canteen. Never mind.

The province from which the cuisine that the world knows as Szechuan evolved is often hot and humid, our Chinese Furniture colleague testified to this, as did the Oriental Furniture translator who had been to university theire  and did not like it. This contributed to this necessity of preparing foods in ways that differ significantly from other regions of China. Szechuan cuisine is primarily known for its hot and spicy dishes, though naturally there is more to Szechuan food than spice and sauces rich and strong in flavor.

A general overview of culinary history and trends which was given to us by the Chinese Furniture worker via the Oriental Furniture translator, reveals that, for the most part, areas that tended to spice heavily were areas in which the fresh food supply was not as reliable as in places that traditionally used a lighter hand in their use of spices. The climate of Sichuan is conducive to faster food spoilage. This, particularly in the past, made necessary food preservation techniques that themselves left behind a strong flavor, such as salting, pickling, drying, and smoking. Thus, spices served to mask the flavors of less than fresh foods and those that have been preserved by methods that affect their natural flavors. In addition to masking certain flavors, the Chinese Furniture expert said, the use of hot spices, such as chili peppers, tends to be more common to hot climates, as the sweat that they can produce is thought to cool the body. We thought this was odd but the Oriental Furniture translator agreed so we didn’t persue the matter.

A fascinating man, the Chinese Furniture worker went on to say that much of the spicing of regional Chinese cooking is based upon bringing together five fundamental taste sensations – sweet, sour, pungent, salty and bitter. The Oriental Furniture translator struggled to make this clear, but we think he said that the balance of these particular elements in any one dish or regional cuisine can vary, according to need and desire, especially as influenced by climate, culture and food availability.

Chili peppers and red peppercorns are used in Sichuan (Szechuan in Cantonese) cooking to stimulate the taste buds and counter the bitter cold of winter. Our Oriental Furniture account manager is from this region and he can really eat the hot stuff. In the Chinese Furniture  canteen he often laughed at us struggling while he added extra to his own plate. Sichuan dishes are considered spicy, although the heat is not immediate, it can creep up on you. Through pickling and salt-curing, the vegetables and meats of this region are preserved to last through the harsh winter. The combined flavors of vinegar with sweetly fried food originated in this central western region. Other eell known Sichuan dishes we ate in the restaurant with our Oriental Furniture account manager are Szechuan beef, stir-fried green beans, cold noodles with peanut sauce, and spicy stir-fried Ma-Po tofu. It wasn’t servied to much in the Chinese Furniture canteen at the factory.

Unbleivably, the food from Hunan is even hotter. Out Chinese Furniture expert buyer Vincent Liu is from that part of China, which is so poor he and one of his current Oriental Furniture colleagues told us they used to catch snakes in the woods for their breakfast. It’s often difficult to distinguish Hunan from Sichuan cuisine, as many Chinese restaurants in North America tend to serve both regional styles side-by-side. The cuisines dovetail nicely as the two provinces also are neighbors in Chinaís heartland. The Hunanese use preserved basics such as hearty oils, garlic, and chili-based sauces. The stir-fried meats are often seared prior to stir-frying, creating sauces and dishes that exude comfort. Popular dishes from Hunan are orange beef or chicken, spicy eggplant in garlic sauce, and hot crispy fish. However, ,mostly their are vast quantities of Chillis involved, Vincent the Chinese Furniture buyer was very proud of his regional tradtion and often insisted on it being served in the Oriental Furniture canteen.

A lot of our Chinese Furniture team are from Guangdong province, formely Canton, as are a lot of the employees at our Oriental Furniture office which is near Guangzhuo City. Cantonese cuisine of curse originated from the areas of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong in southern China. Our Chinese Furniture expert explained that Dim sum meaning touch the heart, the Chinese meal of small tidbits of food presented on roving carts, began in this region. Freshness is supreme to the Cantonese. Live fish and seafood are held in tanks just before being dispatched immediately for cooking. Cantonese sauces are mild and subtle so as to not overpower the freshness of the ingredients. Popular Cantonese dishes, according to our Oriental Furniture worker include steamed whole fish, crispy-skinned chicken, shark’s fin soup, and roast suckling pig.

Mandarin cuisine is the food of the northern imperial courts of old Peking, known today as Beijing. According to the man we spoke to in the Chinese Furniture factor, in this region, wheat instead of rice is widely used, as is a pale leafy cabbage, known as Napa cabbage in America. The crepe like wraparound mu-shu pork and crispy Peking duck accompanied with steamed buns originated in this area. While in the Oriental Furniture canteed has informed us that Mandarin cuisine, an elaborate style arising from the imperial days, is often intricately decorated with vegetables carved into flowers, animals, and designs. Another northern dish, Mongolian hot pot, was described to us by a different Chinese Furniture worker. Here diners cook their own meats and vegetables in a large boiling pot of flavorful broth at the table. We actually ate this quite oftern ourselves in the Oriental Furniture office canteen. Other popular Mandarin foods are pan-fried pot stickers, garlic and scallion Mongolian beef, and beggar’s chicken

The Shanghainese have mastered the arts of braising and stewing so full-bodied flavors commingle on the tongue. Generally considered the cuisine of China is southeastern region of Zhejiang Province, the sauces tend to be rich due to slow cooking techniques and reduction of sauces. Zhejiang is the region where our Chinese Furniture factory is based and in the Oriental Furniture production warehouse there were tens of people able to talk about he regioin’s food. Related to us by one of the Chinese Furniture workers was the fact that the area is also known for preserving food by pickling vegetables and curing meats. Noodle products are heartier as in Shanghai noodles.

Yim Wing Chun was a native of Canton in China, the area in which our Oriental Furniture martial arts expert was also born. Her mother passed away just after her betrothal to Leung Bok Chau. Her father, Yim Yee, was later wrongfully accused of a crime. He did not want to risk Jail so Yim Yee and his daughter left the area and settled down at the foot of Mt. Tai Leung. It was here Ng Mui met Yim Yee and Wing Chun. Wing Chun was a beautiful teenager who had attracted the unwanted attention of a local man who continuously tried to force her to marry him by threatening to harm her father. Ng Mui learned of this and agreed to teach Wing Chun fighting techniques so that she could protect herself. Wing Chun followed Ng Mui into the mountains to White Crane Temple, and began to learn Kung Fu. Wing Chun trained until she mastered the techniques. She then challenged the bully to a fight and defeated him. By this stage I think our Chinese Furniture account manager was getting a bit bored so our notes got a bit inaccurate.

However from what we gathered from the Chinese Furniture worker and our  Oriental Furniture sales girl, the Wing Chun System was passed on in a direct line of succession from its origin. After her marriage to Leung Bok Chau, Wing Chun taught him Kung Fu. He in turn passed these techniques on. As techniques were passed along, the Six-and-a-half-point Long Pole was incorporated into Wing Chun Kung Fu. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Wing Chun, like other martial arts, was banned in China and survived only through the persistence of practitioners like Yip Man.

The Chinese Furniture guy continued with the help of the translation of the Oriental Furniture account manager: the veil of secrecy around the art was finally broken in 1949, when Grandmaster Yip Man brought the style out of China into Hong Kong and eventually to the rest of the world. Leung Sheung had heard about Wing Chun since he was quite young, and in 1949, found out that one of its most famous teachers, Yip Man was currently in Hong Kong. Leung Sheung promptly introduced Lok Yiu and Tsui Sheung-Tin to Yip Man, and the three of them became the first batch of Wing Chun students in Hong Kong.

Amaxingly the Chinese Furniture martial arts part-timer even new the more recent history saying through the translation of our Oriental Furniture girl that from 1949 until 1978, Leung Sheung remained Yip Man’s most senior student. He trained under Yip Man intensively and taught Wing Chun until his passing in 1978. Among Leung Sheung’s more well know students are Kenneth Chung, Leung Ting, Jack Ling, Siu Wong, and others. Our lineage descends from Kenneth Chung who best retained Leung Sheung’s methods and most importantly, his unique energy.

Yip Man’s students began gaining notoriety for besting many systems and experienced opponents in streetfights and “friendly” competitions. The art gained even more popularity when one of its students, Bruce Lee, began to enjoy worldwide fame. Over time Wing Chun has been refined to it’s highest levels by a few of its masters. Wing Chun remains one of the most popular and most effective forms of Kung Fu today. We were truly amazed that such knowledge was within the Chinese Furniture  factory and we asked our Oriental Furniture account manager to ask why he wasn’t a martial arts teacher. The Chinese Furniture worker said simpley that there was more money to be had working in the Oriental Furniture  industry as a high level craftsman, a trade taught to him by his father. Remarkable martial arts knowledge for an amateur.

According to our Chinese Furniture colleague, when using Wing Chun, there are several ways of defeating the enemy: striking, kicking, joint locking, controlling, throwing and the use of weapons are the most common. However, all of these techniques are guided by very well thought out concepts. Wing Chun means “beautiful springtime,” or “forever springtime.” Wing Chun is also written “Ving Tsun” or “Wing Tsun.” It was the Oriental Furniture account manager who told us this from her own knowledge

Next the Chinese Furnitureman explained the way the art produces efficient fighters in a relatively short amount of time is by sticking to several core concepts and by paying strict attention to positioning. Much training time is spent cultivating “Sensitivity or Contact Reflexes.” The student practices guarding various zones about the body and deals with whatever happens to be contacted or touched in that zone. This allows for a minimum of technique for a maximum of application, and for the use of an automatic or subconscious response. Because of this it is especially suited for the blind or visually impaired. In fact, Wing Chun’s unique training method seems tailor made for any visually impaired person to defend themselves as good, if not better than those who can see. Our Oriental Furniture account manager laughed at this and said it would be good for her grandmother.

Most of the techniques taught are hand techniques, said the Chinese Furniture worker, and the style is best known for its quick punches. Only low kicks are used. Traps and other kinds of controls are important as well. Trapping and speed are developed through the famous “sticky hands” (Chi Sao) training, which also teaches balance. The Oriental Furniture account manager took along time to translate to us that a Mook Jong, a wooden dummy used for training footwork and alignment, is also a well-known training method. There are three forms used in the style: Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu, and Bil Jee.

Traditionally only two weapons are taught in Wing Chun. The Chinese Furniture expert said that Dragon Pole and the Butterfly Knives are generally taught only once the student has a firm foundation in the art. However, we teach modern weapons as well to enhance our training methods. Weapons training drills offer the similar ideas and concepts as the open hand system, including the use of Contact Reflexes. Many of the weapon movements are built off of or mimic the open hand moves - this is the reverse process of Kali/Escrima/Arnis, where weapon movements are learned first. Again the Oriental Furniture account mangare struggled with the terminology here so it could be inaccurate…