Chinese people love to eat and China boasts one of the world's greatest and most varied cuisines. During the long development of Chinese eating culture, many practices have evolved that you may find quite different from what you are used to.

A common greeting in China is, "Have you eaten?" (吃了吗？ chīle ma?)

The History of Chinese Eating Culture
China is a country with a long history of ritual and etiquette, and eating is highly important feature of China’s culture, so naturally dining etiquette has developed to a high degree. Dining etiquette is said to have its beginnings in the Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BC).

Through thousands of years of evolution it has developed into a set of generally accepted dining rituals and practices. However, there is still variation in table etiquette according to the character and purpose of a banquet and great differences regionally.