China has the world's largest population, now over 1.3 billion, but its land area (much of it high mountains or desert) is about the same as that of the United States, which has less than one-fourth as many people. So Chinese farmers have learned to use every inch of their fertile land intensively. Pressure on the land has required extremely efficient farming and resulted in a vast mosaic of food cultures, intimately related to local climate (even micro-climate) and water-soil resources. Some products may be found in all of China's agricultural regions, but most places are known for, and take pride in, a local cuisine. For food is never just "what the land can produce," so local preferences--taste and culinary history--play important roles in people's choices. This essay discusses how the regional cuisines of China reflect topography, climate, and people's ability to extract both calories and taste from the land and water. (Contains 3 online resources.)