Food's Global Spread

Each food has a history of spreading globally. A key conduit of people-to-people exchange is food. China is the origin of rice cultivation, and rice was one of the most important food crops in ancient China. During the Zhou Dynasty, China's rice started spreading northwards to the Korean peninsula and southwards to the Philippines and Indonesia, where it became cultivated as a major food crop. Rice and cultivation techniques also spread to Japan and gradually became central to its diet and culture.

As the Silk Road facilitated exchange between countries, black peppers, grapes, carrots, chili peppers, and other foods and spices arrived in China, enriching China's dietary culture. With the discovery of new sea routes to the East, potatoes, maize, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, pumpkins, and cacao, among other items, spread from the Americas to other parts of the world. In the 16th century, maize was introduced to China and exalted as a tribute item to the imperial household. Large-scale cultivation in the 18th century made it an important cash crop, as it has been ever since. In the late Ming Dynasty, sweet potatoes traveled from Southeast Asia to China, where it was planted far and wide to fight famine. The introduction of maize and sweet potatoes led to an enormous hike in crop yield, which went on to feed a much larger population and change the mix of crops in ancient China.

Food is central to human survival. The arrival of foreign foods brought more flavors to the Chinese dining tables and enlivened Chinese dietary culture. Chinese foods and dietary culture also spread to other parts of the world and blended well with local foods and culture. Two-way spread promoted cultural exchange and fostered connectivity between Chinese and foreign peoples.

食物的交流

每一種食物都包含一部全球史，伴隨著人類交往，各地食物的交流始終貫穿其中。中國是世界稻作的起源地，稻是中國古代最重要的糧食作物之一。從周朝起，中國稻谷北傳朝鮮，南傳菲律賓和印度尼西亞，成為這些地區的主要糧食之一。稻米和耕作技術傳到日本后，逐漸成為其飲食和文化中的重要組成部分。

隨著絲綢之路形成，各國交流活動增加，胡椒、葡萄、胡蘿卜、辣椒等食材和香料進入中國，豐富了中國的飲食文化。新航路開辟后，美洲的特產馬鈴薯、玉米、番茄、甘薯、花生、南瓜和可可等也流向世界各地。16世紀，玉米進入中國，一度是皇家御用貢品，經18世紀推廣后成為重要經濟作物。明代后期，甘薯從東南亞傳入中國，被大力推廣用于賑災。玉米和甘薯的引進，大大增加了糧食產量，直接導致古代中國人口增長，改變了中國的農作物種植結構。

民以食為天。食物的交流豐富了中國人的餐桌，促使中國飲食文化生機勃勃。中國美食與中國飲食文化傳播到世界各地，并與當地飲食文化交流融通，推動了中外人文交流與民心相通。