China's Food: A Photographic Journey

China's Food is a lavish, extraordinary photo essay. Photographer Reinhart Wolf journeyed for three months through the People's Republic of China to explore and discover how and why the foods eaten there are grown, chosen, bought, prepared, and served. From farm to market to kitchen to table, China's food is entwined with history, philosophy, economics - the soul of Chinese society. Food is symbol and sustenance, its meaning braided together with how it looks, tastes and nourishes. In the foods of China, all elements join. The line between food and medicine blurs: the prescription room of a Chinese pharmacy resembles a kitchen. A stand of bamboo yields stout poles for building, light rods for carrying, and tender shoots for tonight's dinner. In China, food is more than just something to eat. It carries the myths and traditions of Imperial culture.