Modern Chinese History as Reflected in a Teahouse Mirror

Food and culture are inextricably intertwined in China, and perhaps nowhere more so than in Cantonese teahouses and their dim sum. Books, journals, photographs, and chronicles can tell us much about what life was like between 1880 and 1949 as Guangdong Province began to modernize. But perhaps even more fascinating is the way in which those massive changes were echoed in the teahouses and snacks of its capital city, Guangzhou. For, in addition to being delectable tidbits, dim sum can provide intriguing clues to the country's migration patterns, regional cuisines, various ethnicities, and foreign influences. Echoes of China's past have somehow managed to be ensconced within these dainty morsels, making a dim sum brunch an excellent opportunity not only to dine exceedingly well, but also to understand a city's fascinating modern history during seventy tumultuous years.