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! Year !! Category !! Event type !! Details
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| 1766BC–1154BC || Nutrition || Scientific development || Early {{w|Shang Dynasty}}. People cook herbs to treat diseases. Minister {{w|Yi Yin}} invents cooking wares and soup and broth making techniques.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition">{{cite web |title=The History Of Chinese Nutrition |url=https://www.koosacupuncture.com/the-history-of-chinese-nutrition |website=koosacupuncture.com |accessdate=11 September 2019}}</ref>
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| 1122BC–721BC || Nutrition || Scientific development || [[w:Western Zhou|West Zhou Dynasty]]. In the imperial palace “Food Doctors” select and prepare meals for Kings, using vegetables, fruits, grains, poultry, meats, herbs, and other ingredients. The thought is to make food that is both delicious and health preserving. At this time, “Food doctors” have higher status than “disease doctors” (Internists) and “Carbuncle Doctors” (Surgeons). Theses “Food doctors” are considered the first professional nutritionists.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| c.1000BC || Food || Production || The Chinese first cultivate the wild soybean.<ref name="The Story of Soy">{{cite web |title=The Story of Soy: From Wild Vine to Soy Burger. |url=http://www.eatingchina.com/articles/soystory.htm |website=eatingchina.com |accessdate=11 September 2019}}</ref>
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| 403BC-221BC || Nutrition || Scientific development || {{w|Warring States period}}. Doctors pay much attention to nutrition and food therapy. Chinese physician {{w|Bian Que}} says, "As a Doctor, one should investigate the origin of, and pathological changes created by diseases and then treat the patient with food. If food does not cure the disorders, then medicine is given." This advice would influenced succeeding generations of Physicians.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 221BC-220AD || Nutrition || Literature || Chinese book on agriculture and medicinal plants {{w|''Shennong Ben Cao Jing''}} is written. It is recognized as the first Chinese {{w|materia medica}}. The text includes references to many grains, fruits, herbs, fishes, poultry and other meats as well as minerals. Dates, sesame seeds, grapes, walnuts, lotus seeds (Lian Zi), Chinese yams, beans, scallions, honeys, and salt are examples of substances recognized as having medicinal qualities.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 150AD–2019AD || Nutrition || Literature || Preeminent Chinese medical sage {{w|Zhang Zhongjing}} recounts his experiences in using rice and other foods with medicinal herbs in his book ''A Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases''. His “angelica, ginger and lamb broth” is still popular in the 21st century.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 25Ad–220AD|| Food || Production || {{w|Soy milk}} and {{w|tofu}} are alrerady prepared around this time, as revealed by a stone slab with a mural featuring a kitchen scene which illustrations.<ref name="The Story of Soy"/>
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| 670AD-907AD || Nutrition || Literature || {{w|Tang Dynasty}}. Chinese physician {{w|Sun Simiao}} lists over 154 foods in his book ''Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Talents of Gold''. He says, “Food can expel pathogens and protect the internal organs, make people happy, and benefits the Qi and blood. A good Doctor explores the origins of a disease and and its pathogenesis, then prescribes foods to treat the patient. Medicine should be used only if food therapy fails. His student Meng Xian writes the book, ''Nourishing Recipes'' in which he increases the number of foods to 241. Meng Xian's student Zhang Ding revises this book and names it ''Dietetic Materia Medica'', the first Chinese book on dietetic therapies and actions of foods, cooking techniques, along with dietary principles discussed.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 960 AD–1278 AD || Nutrition || Literature || {{w|Song Dynasty}}. The government orders medical officials Wang Huan Yin et al to compile ''Peaceful Holy Benevolent Prescriptions'', which lists dietetic therapies for 28 diseases. Around the same time, Chen Zhi’s book, ''Care of Aged Parents'', lists 162 dietetic recipes for older people.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 1206 AD–1341 AD|| Nutrition || Scientific development || {{w|Yuan Dynasty}}. Dietetic therapy reaches a peak in this period.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 1330 || Nutrition || Literature || Chinese court dietitian {{w|Hu Sihui}} writes ''Yin-shan zheng-yao'' (''Essentials of eating and drinking''), which would become a classic in {{w|Chinese medicine}} and {{w|Chinese cuisine}}.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jpPqoipa364C |title=Anti-angiogenic functional and medicinal foods |author=Jack N. Losso |author2=Fereidoon Shahidi |author3=Debasis Bagchi |publisher=CRC Press |year=2007 |isbn=1-57444-445-X |page=102}}</ref><ref name="iranicaonline.org">{{cite web |title=CHINESE-IRANIAN RELATIONS viii. Persian Language and Literature in China |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/chinese-iranian-viii |website=iranicaonline.org |accessdate=29 November 2019}}</ref> The book describes 94 courses of food including such factors as types of foods which balance each other and the order in which foods are served, 35 kinds of soup, and 29 recipes for longevity. It also discusses the toxicity of foods and dietary hygiene. This is considered the first complete, systematic book on Chinese nutrition and dietetic therapy.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 1368 AD–1644 AD || Nutrition || Literature || {{w|Ming dynasty}}. An even deeper understanding of nutrition and dietetic therapy develops. Many nutrition and diet therapy books such as {{w|Li Shizhen}}'s ''Compendium of The Materia Medica'', Lu He’s ''A Dietary Material Medica'', Bao Sagan’s ''The Collection of Vegetables'' and Wang Shixiong's ''A Collection of Recipes in Leisure Residence'', are published. All of theses texts discuss the properties, actions and indications of foods, and dietary structure, from different angles.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 1578 AD–1593 AD || Nutrition || Literature || Chinese Physician and naturalist {{w|Li Shizhen}} writes ''Compendium of The Materia Medica'', a monumental work listing many dietary therapy recipes which placed most foods in the {{w|pharmacopoeia}}.<ref name="The History Of Chinese Nutrition"/>
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| 1876–1879 || Nutrition || Crisis || {{w|Northern Chinese Famine of 1876–79}}.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Illusory Boundary: Environment and Technology in History |edition=Martin Reuss, Stephen H. Cutcliffe |url=https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=B56nHreDziUC&pg=PA112&dq=Northern+Chinese+Famine+of+1876%E2%80%9379&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij5aaPhrPmAhUMJrkGHb8OARQQ6AEIUTAF#v=onepage&q=Northern%20Chinese%20Famine%20of%201876%E2%80%9379&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=North China famine, 1876-79 |url=http://www.disasterhistory.org/north-china-famine-1876-79 |website=disasterhistory.org |accessdate=13 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Edgerton-Tarpley |first1=Kathryn |title=Tears from Iron: Cultural Responses to Famine in Nineteenth-Century China |url=https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=-Pp_EYAI7FgC&pg=PR17&dq=Northern+Chinese+Famine+of+1876%E2%80%9379&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij5aaPhrPmAhUMJrkGHb8OARQQ6AEIYDAH#v=onepage&q=Northern%20Chinese%20Famine%20of%201876%E2%80%9379&f=false}}</ref>
| 1980–1996 || Food || Production || Aquatic product output rises from 4.5 million tons to 32.9 million, accounting for the most rapid growth among all animal protein products, and making China the world's largest producer. Beef production rises sixfold in the same period, however, beef still accounts for only a small share of the national total meat consumption.<ref name="China Situation"/>
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| 1980 || Nutrition || Statistics || Malnutrition is reported at a 30% of the population.<ref name="reer"/>
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| 1981 || Food || Policy || The State Council announces that "prioritizing grain production and actively promoting a diversified agro-economy" would be the principle for adjusting the structure of agriculture. An emphasis is put on the importance of coordinated development of forestry, animal husbandry and aquatic production in association with agriculture. Land that has been inappropriately developed for crops is returned to other uses.<ref name="and nutritional status"/>
| 1981–1990 || Food || Land use || The area planted in crops decreases from almost 115 million hectares to about 113.5 million hectares in the period, a 1.3 percent rate of decrease.<ref name="and nutritional status"/>
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| 1982 || Nutrition || Overnutrition || Overweight problems among the population start emerging.<ref name="China in the period"/>
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| 1982 || Food || Consumption || Cereal consumption reaches a peak in the year.<ref name="China in the period"/>
| 1990–2000 || Food || Production || Vegetable production in China increases from 67 to 141 kcals/capita/day in the period.<ref name="Food and Agriculture"/>
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| 1991 || Food || Program launch || The National Program for Ten-Year Planning of the National Economy and Social Development and the Eighth Five-Year Plan are issued by the Chinese Government. These point to goals for the year 2000: "Based on the increase of income of the inhabitants, the food consumption of urban and rural people will be further raised in both quality and quantity, and the consumption of meat, eggs, milk, aquatic products and fruits will rise to some extent..." Nutritional status is officially incorporated into the national economic and social development plan.<ref name="and nutritional status"/>
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| 1991 || Food || Policy || The price of grain and edible oil on ration is readjusted by a large margin for the first time since the mid-1960s. The price of grain is raised by 70 percent, and the price of edible oil almost doubles.<ref name="and nutritional status"/>
| 2001 || Food || Distribution || Supermarkets account for 48 percent of urban food markets in China, an increase beyond 30 percent level in 1999.<ref name="Food and Agriculture">{{cite book |title=Globalization of Food Systems in Developing Countries: Impact on Food Security and Nutrition |edition=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=ggBcejopzyYC&pg=PA169&dq=nutrition+in+china+%22in+1990..1999%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOgJeWgcrlAhW3DrkGHXGqAT0Q6AEIPTAC#v=onepage&q=nutrition%20in%20china%20%22in%201990..1999%22&f=false}}</ref>
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| 2003–2005 || Nutrition || {{w|Undernutrition}} || About 120 million Chinese from poor areas are estimated to be undernourished in the period.<ref name="Improving nutrition">{{cite web |title=China: Improving nutrition and food safety for China's most vulnerable women and children |url=http://www.mdgfund.org/node/179 |website=mdgfund.org |accessdate=11 September 2019}}</ref>
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| 2004 || Food || Intake || Based on the annual grain output, food consumption per capita reaches 350 kg in the year.<ref name="Shoemaker"/>
| 2010 || Food || Production || Based on the annual grain output, food consumption per capita reaches 400 kg in the year.<ref name="Shoemaker"/>
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| 2010–2013 || Nutrition || Overnutrition || The national prevalence of under-five overweight increases from 6.6% to 9.1%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Malnutrition burden |url=https://globalnutritionreport.org/resources/nutrition-profiles/asia/eastern-asia/china/ |website=globalnutritionreport.org |accessdate=3 December 2019}}</ref>
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| 2011 || Nutrition || Intake || By this time, the average Chinese per capita daily calorie consumption is higher than that of {{w|Thailand}}, {{w|Vietnam}}, {{w|Malaysia}}, {{w|Indonesia}}, and the {{w|Philippines}}. Also, China's levels of plant-based calorie consumption are marginally lower than those in the {{w|United States}}, but animal-based calorie consumption still trails by 30%.<ref name="Tubilewicz"/>
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| 2012 || Food || {{w|International trade}} || China becomes the largest global importer of food and beverages.<ref name="Tubilewicz"/>
| 2014 || Food || Production || Over 300 chinese farming enterprises have investments across 46 different countries.<ref name="Tubilewicz"/>
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| 2014 || Nutrition || Statistics || Malnutrition is reported at less than 12% of the population.<ref name="reer">{{cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/china/2014/06/13/the-hungry-and-forgotten|title=The hungry and forgotten|publisher=[[The Economist]]|date=13 June 2014|accessdate=3 March 2019}}</ref>
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| 2015 || Food || Production || Based on the annual grain output, food consumption per capita reaches 450 kg in the year.<ref name="Shoemaker"/>
