Shanghai's Circuit and China's Many Kitchens

China has hosted 19 Grands Prix in Shanghai since 2004, and its cooking spans rice and wheat, eight great regional styles and a street food tradition centuries deep.

Shanghai has been the only address of the Chinese Grand Prix since Formula 1 first came to China in 2004. The race ran every year until 2019, paused, and came back in 2024, and the 2026 edition brought the total to 19. Lewis Hamilton has won it six times, far more than anyone else, while Kimi Antonelli won the latest edition in 2026.

Zhou Guanyu is the only Chinese driver in our records to have started a World Championship race. He made 68 starts over three seasons from 2022 to 2024, with eighth as his best finish, and his timing was kind: when the Grand Prix returned to Shanghai in 2024, the home crowd had a driver of its own to watch.

Chinese cuisine is really many cuisines, which is what a vast population, a climate running from tropical to subarctic and centuries of trade and migration will do to a kitchen. Cantonese, Shandong, Jiangsu and Sichuan are among the best known styles, and each keeps its own habits: Jiangsu cooks favor braising and stewing, Fujian is known for seafood and soups, and Hunan for flavors both hot and salty. Across the regions, drying, salting, pickling and fermenting have long kept the pantry stocked.

A broad line divides north from south. Wheat grows in the north, so noodles, steamed buns called mantou and the dumplings known as jiaozi fill the table; rice rules the south, where the day often begins with congee. Pork is the most eaten meat, tofu takes many forms, and street food has been part of Chinese life since the Tang dynasty. China can also claim the world's earliest restaurants in the modern sense, which opened under the Song dynasty, so the idea of eating out has had a long time to mature.

A taste of China

• Red braised short ribs, Soy braised beef short ribs
• Jiaozi, Pork and cabbage dumplings
• Cong you bing, Scallion pancakes
• Cha ye dan, Eggs simmered in spiced tea and soy
• Shi zi tou, Lion's head pork meatballs with cabbage
• Cu chao mian, Shanghai fried noodles with pork and greens
• Doujiang, Fresh soy milk
• Huangjiu, Warm Shaoxing rice wine with ginger
• Tangyuan, Sesame filled rice balls in ginger syrup

Circuits

• Shanghai International Circuit

Drivers

• ma qinghua
• Zhou Guanyu