Investigates the various major sociolinguistic subcultures of China with specific attention to their distinctive food preferences, coupled with a tradition of food symbols which interweave Chinese subcultures. Points out that, contrary to popular belief among foreign business people, there is no “China market”; rather, there are many diverse markets within China. Notes that there are many languages and, hence, cultures in the country, and the people do not all eat the same foods; yet, at the same time, there is a rich unity of symbolic tradition associated with the foods the Chinese eat ‐ indeed there is an elaborate food linguistic the semantics of which need to be understood by outsiders. Presents an introduction and overview of the diversity and unity of China as it relates to food, and its findings should be of value to those working in various aspects of the food and agriculture industries who may have an interest in China markets, those interested in either importing or exporting Chinese food products, exporting food processing equipment or farming and agricultural technology, and those in the food business serving Chinese populations of significant size around the world.
Article navigation
1 July 1996
Research Article|
July 01 1996
1.19850+ billion mouths to feed: food linguistics and cross‐cultural, cross‐“national” food consumption habits in China Available to Purchase
Lauren A. Swanson
Lauren A. Swanson
Associate Director, MBA Programmes, Faculty of Business Administration, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Online ISSN: 1758-4108
Print ISSN: 0007-070X
© MCB UP Limited
1996
British Food Journal (1996) 98 (6): 33–44.
Citation
Swanson LA (1996), "1.19850+ billion mouths to feed: food linguistics and cross‐cultural, cross‐“national” food consumption habits in China". British Food Journal, Vol. 98 No. 6 pp. 33–44, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/00070709610131357
Download citation file:
Suggested Reading
Food and health: the impact of the Chinese traditional philosophy of food on the young generation in the modern world
Nutrition & Food Science (February,1995)
Mythical animals: a reference pathfinder
Collection Building (September,1996)
Doing Business in China: A Framework for Cross‐cultural Understanding
Marketing Intelligence & Planning (April,1990)
Cute, Quaint, Hungry and Romantic: The Aesthetics of Consumerism (1st ed.)
Journal of Consumer Marketing (June,2001)
Symbols as cultural expressions of technology diffusion
Society and Business Review (October,2011)
Related Chapters
“We are all Khaled Said”: Visual Injustice Symbols in the Egyptian Revolution, 2010–2011
Advances in the Visual Analysis of Social Movements
Archaeology and the Symbols of Socially Responsible Communication
Redefining Corporate Social Responsibility
Introduction to Gender and Food: From Production to Consumption and After
Gender and Food: From Production to Consumption and After
Recommended for you
These recommendations are informed by your reading behaviors and indicated interests.
