festivore

In ancient Chinese wisdom, the earth and the environment are connected to the body and health. In Chinese tradition there are five basic tastes, representing the fundamental elements of Nature: sour (wood), bitter (fire), sweet (earth), pungent (metal) and salty (water). Chinese meals are prepared to contain all five of these elements, to promote life balance through food.

Sadly, many Chinese have broken with the great lifestyle traditions of their ancestors. Chairman Mao’s devastating Cultural Revolution (1966-76) attempted to wipe away old cultural ideas, in favor of the new revolutionary values – with substantial success.

Since then, many Chinese have looked to the West, particularly America, for “modern” lifestyles, and the results are troubling. “Our results indicate that a large proportion of Chinese adults have the metabolic syndrome [a collection of health risks that increases the odds of a person developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes] and that overweight has become an important public health problem in China,” according to Professor Jiang He, of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

But today, there is a growing recognition in China of this cultural “gap,” and the people are placing a higher priority on restoring traditional values in business and everyday life. It will be interesting to watch this trend develop in the coming years.