“Spicy Sichuan: Chili Pepper, Regional Identity and Chinese Revolution”

Hongjie Wang, professor of history, will explore the diffusion of the chili pepper in China and its revolutionary role in transforming the cuisine of the Sichuan province. The pepper helped to reshape the regional identity of Sichuan in the tumultuous modern era. It formulated the well-accepted association between the relish for spicy food and the character of Sichuanese people and their contributions to the Chinese revolution.