There are eight regional cuisines, (八大菜系): Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. Among them, Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, and Jiangsu cuisine  are often considered as the standard of Chinese cuisine and due to their influence are claimed as the Four Great Traditions (四大菜系)

Cantonese (Yue) cuisine: Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is the best known outside China. Most Chines restaurants in western countries serve Cantonese cuisine. Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China. The speciality of Cantonese cuisine is sweet food.

Shandong (Lu) cuisine: Shandong cuisine is most commonly known as Lu cuisine. It comes from Shandong Province in eastern China.  There are 2 major styles: Jiaodong Style ( seafood with light tastes) and Jinan Style (salty tastes).

Sichuan (Chuan) cuisine:  It’s well-known as Szechuan cuisine in the west.  The speciality of Sichuan cuisine is spicy food. Sichuan peppercorn is commonly used in every dishes. If you feel like that your Chinese food wasn’t “hot” enough, then Sichuan cuisine would be your best choice in most scenarios.

Jiangsu (Su) cuisine: The major style of Jiangsu cuisine is Huaiyang cuisine. It’s well-known for its seasonal ingredients, color and shape matching and soft tastes.