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In the Chinese Zodiac, there are 12 animals. Each year belongs to one of these animals, with 2018 belonging to man’s best friend, the dog.

So how does the Chinese calendar work?

The Chinese calendar rotates through five elements; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. After each of the 12 animals have had a year the cycle starts again, with the rat focusing on a new element. Each animal belongs to one of these elements by default, so it comes as no surprise that with their penchant for rolling in the mud, dogs have a strong earth focus. With us already being in the Earth element cycle, 2018 will be the Year of the Earth Dog.

Everyone has their favourite Cantonese dish, whether it’s a type of dim sum, a noodle dish or a classic like sweet & sour.

Sometimes, though, it’s refreshing to try something new from a familiar face. Cue some Chung Ying favourites such as aromatic Chicken Feet in Black Bean sauce and delicious Steamed Turnip Paste.

• Food preferences between the North and South of China differ significantly. 

• There are up to 500 types of noodles in China alone.

• Chopsticks are widely used as the Chinese traditionally considered knives and forks as violent.

Food preferences between the North and South of China differ significantly.  

TRUE: In the North, wheat production is favoured because of the colder climate. As a result, food such as dumplings, steamed buns and noodles made from wheat are popular. However, in the South, rice and noodles rule, with them being consumed with nearly every meal!

At all three Chung Ying restaurants, you can enjoy both of these with a wide range of choices suited to all taste buds.

Aries – Dim Sum
As an Aries, you hate to be restricted, and that means you would rather sample our hundreds of varieties of dim sum, rather than settle on one main course! You’re all about speed – you don’t like waiting for your food, so you love how fast you can choose from our dim sum menu.

Taurus – Crispy belly pork
You’re a Taurus, which means that you have a phenomenal taste in both food and relationships, so bring your bae (or the person who you want to be your bae) down to one of the Chung Ying restaurants… the noodles have fallen in your favour when it comes to love! When you get here, we think the rich crispy belly pork will be right up your street!

Gemini – Sweet and sour chicken
Gemini’s are renowned for having two personalities, and others are never quite sure which one they will be confronted with on a given day. It only makes sense that a doubled up personality would love a dish with double the flavours! The duality of the Gemini pairs perfectly with our flavourful sweet and sour chicken combination. The four of you are perfect for each other!

Do you think China and Chinese culture is weird or wonderful?

1. Over 30 million people still live in caves in China - that’ll save on the electricity bill.
2. You may think the UK is the home of football, but it is said that it was actually invented in Linzi, the capital of the ancient Chinese state of Qi.
3. 80 billion pairs of chopsticks are produced annually.
   

Chinese New Year (a.k.a Lunar New Year/ Spring Festival) falls on January 28^th 2017.

The date is determined by the lunisolar calendar, celebrated with intricate lanterns, fireworks and dances. But what you probably haven’t noticed, is the unusual amount of red used.

Why? A Chinese legend involving a mythical beast called "Year", who'd come out on New Year's Eve to harm adults, children and their animals. It was discovered that the "Year" was afraid of fire and the colour red. Therefore the villagers used red to help detract the mythical beast.

Nowadays, red symbolises luck and positivity – a sharp turn around from times past!

In-addition, married adults will gift red envelopes containing money to the younger generation. This giving of envelopes also takes place on birthdays and weddings – so in essence, the younger the better, but as you get older, it’s going to get expensive for you!

As the days get shorter and the weather gets chillier, the need for warm, comforting food is even higher than usual! But don’t worry, there’s no need to despair, we have a diverse selection of noodle soups on Chung Ying Central’s Winter Lunch menu, to fill your belly and warm your bones!

For the history of noodle soups, we’ll need to get into our time machine and travel back all the way to the third century. These noodles were very different to our modern day favourites, they were usually made from little pieces of bread dough and thrown into boiling water to cook.