Since China's local dishes have their own typical characteristics, generally, Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, which has been widely accepted around. Certainly, there are many other local cuisines that are famous, such as Beijing Cuisine and Shanghai Cuisine.
因为中国地方菜肴各具特色，总体来讲，中国饮食可以大致分为八大地方菜系，这种分类已被广为接受。当然，还有其他很多著名的地方菜系，例如北京菜和上海菜。

Consisting of Jinan cuisine and Jiaodong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, clear, pure and not greasy, is characterized by its emphasis on aroma, freshness, crispness and tenderness. Shallot and garlic are usually used as seasonings so Shangdong dishes tastes pungent usually. Soups are given much emphasis in Shangdong dishes. Thin soup features clear and fresh while creamy soup looks thick and tastes strong. Jinan cuisine is adept at deep-frying, grilling, frying and stir-frying while Jiaodong division is famous for cooking seafood with fresh and light taste.
山东菜系，由济南菜系和胶东菜系组成，清淡，不油腻，以其香，鲜，酥，软而闻名。因为使用青葱和大蒜做为调料，山东菜系通常很辣。山东菜系注重汤品。清汤清澈新鲜，而油汤外观厚重，味道浓重。济南菜系擅长炸，烤，煎，炒，而胶东菜系则以其烹饪海鲜的鲜淡而闻名。

Sichuan Cuisine, known often in the West as Szechuan Cuisine, is one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world. Characterized by its spicy and pungent flavor, Sichuan cuisine, prolific of tastes, emphasizes on the use of chili. Pepper and prickly ash also never fail to accompany, producing typical exciting tastes. Besides, garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Wild vegetables and animals are usually chosen as ingredients, while frying, frying without oil, pickling and braising are applied as basic cooking techniques. It cannot be said that one who does not experience Sichuan food ever reaches China.
四川菜系，是世界上最著名的中国菜系之一。四川菜系以其香辣而闻名，味道多变，着重使用红辣椒，搭配使用青椒和prickly ash，产生出经典的刺激的味道。此外，大蒜，姜和豆豉也被应用于烹饪过程中。野菜和野禽常被选用为原料，油炸，无油炸，腌制和文火炖煮是基本的烹饪技术。没有品尝过四川菜的人不算来过中国。

Tasting clear, light, crisp and fresh, Guangdong cuisine, familiar to Westerners, usually chooses raptors and beasts to produce originative dishes. Its basic cooking techniques include roasting, stir-frying, sauteing, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming. Among them steaming and stir-frying are more commonly applied to preserve the natural flavor. Guangdong chefs also pay much attention to the artistic presentation of dishes.
广东菜系，味道清，淡，脆，鲜，为西方人所熟知，常用猛禽走兽来烹饪出有创意的菜肴。它的基础烹饪方法包括烤，炒，煸，深炸，烤，炖和蒸。其中蒸和炒最常用于保存天然风味。广东厨师也注重于菜肴的艺术感。

Consisting of Fuzhou Cuisine, Quanzhou Cuisine and Xiamen Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine is distinguished for its choice seafood, beautiful color and magic taste of sweet, sour, salty and savory. The most distinct features are their "pickled taste".
福建菜系由福州菜，泉州菜，厦门菜组成，以其精选的海鲜，漂亮的色泽，甜，酸，咸和香的味道而出名。最特别的是它的“卤味”。

Jiangsu Cuisine, also called Huaiyang Cuisine, is popular in the lower reach of the Yangtze River. Aquatics as the main ingredients, it stresses the freshness of materials. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known. Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting（焙bèi）, simmering（煨wēi）, etc. The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is light, fresh and sweet and with delicate elegance. Jiangsu cuisine is well known for its careful selection of ingredients, its meticulous preparation methodology, and its not-too-spicy, not-too-bland taste. Since the seasons vary in climate considerably in Jiangsu, the cuisine also varies throughout the year. If the flavor is strong, it isn't too heavy; if light, not too bland.
江苏菜，又叫淮阳菜，流行于在淮阳湖下流。以水产作为主要原料，注重原料的鲜味。其雕刻技术十分珍贵，其中瓜雕尤其著名。烹饪技术包括炖，烤，焙，煨等。淮阳菜的特色是淡，鲜，甜，雅。江苏菜系以其精选的原料，精细的准备，不辣不温的口感而出名。因为江苏气候变化很大，江苏菜系在一年之中也有变化。味道强而不重，淡而不温。

Comprising local cuisines of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing, Zhejiang Cuisine, not greasy, wins its reputation for freshness, tenderness, softness, smoothness of its dishes with mellow fragrance. Hangzhou Cuisine is the most famous one among the three.
浙江菜系由杭州菜，宁波菜，绍兴菜，组成，不油腻，以其菜肴的鲜，柔，滑，香而闻名。杭州菜是这三者中最出名的一个。

Hunancuisine consists of local Cuisines of Xiangjiang Region, Dongting Lake and Xiangxi coteau. It characterizes itself by thick and pungent flavor. Chili, pepper and shallot are usually necessaries in this division.
湖南菜系由湘江地区，洞亭湖和湘西的地方菜肴组成。它以其极辣的味道为特色。红辣椒，青辣椒和青葱在这一菜系中的必备品。

Anhui Cuisine chefs focus much more attention on the temperature in cooking and are good at braising and stewing. Often hams（火腿huótuǐ）will be added to improve taste and sugar candy added to gain
安徽厨师注重于烹饪的温度，擅长煨炖。通常会加入火腿和方糖来改善菜肴的味道。