One of China's eight great regional kitchens, Sichuan cooking is built on mala — the双重 hit of chili heat and the tingling numbness of the Sichuan peppercorn — plus a repertoire of twenty-four distinct

From a boatman's copper pot on the Yangtze to a global chain, hot pot is less a dish than a ritual of friendship. We trace how China fell for the boil.