Introduction

‘A gradual mixing of ideas and foods, supported by increased transportation and communication, has given rise to modification, adaptation and variation of all regional foods. . . . The [Chinese] cookery of the moment is not one entity but an amalgam of the variety of cuisines that existed, united by geography and politics yet divided by climate, agriculture and tradition. Regional styles are no longer mutually exclusive. There are more similarities than there are differences between them.’

‘Hong Kong! A free port, an outpost of free trade, a capitalist back door to the People’s Republic of China. . . . Once there was no Hong Kong. It is something that has had to be invented.’