Jiangnan, China's beautiful Lower Yangtze region "south of the river," is renowned for its agricultural riches, abundant seafood and gastronomic culture. Its gentle way of life and cuisine captivated Qing emperors and others; fourth-century official Zhang Han was said to have abandoned his post because of his longing and "thinking of perch and water shield soup" (poetic shorthand for homesickness). Many have fallen in love with the "land of fish and rice," including cook and Chinese food expert Fuchsia Dunlop (Sichuan Cookery; Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China), whose sojourn to the Dragon Well Manor restaurant on the outskirts of Hangzhou inspired her love of the cuisine. Land of Fish and Rice is a gorgeous, revelatory and authoritative collection that celebrates the rusticity, simplicity and elegance of Jiangnan's remarkable culinary heritage, as well as its storied history. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer and technical consultant