Food production and ethics in Chinese cultures

Food is not only a necessity for survival, but is also a manifestation of cultures and living styles. Since ancient Greek, food ethics has been extensively explored; however, how the Chinese culture has shaped the concept of food among Chinese and the practices of food production has seldom been discussed. In this chapter, we will first overview the ethics of food, followed by a detailed discussion about how Confucianism could link with food production and the ethics thereof. Further, we will also discuss how some values of the Chinese culture, such as the virtue of silence and "saving face", potentially lead to the tendency of covering up problems as crises in food production or food scandals occur.