ABSTRACT
References..............................................................................................................121
China is one of the ancient cultures with the earliest development of written
languages. Some of the Chinese literature on functional foods available today can be
dated back 3000 years. These written records are unquestionably the most valuable
sources of information for understanding the origin and historical development of
functional foods in China. In the first part of this article, a concise history of the
origin and development of functional foods in China, we will highlight the
representative written works which appeared in different dynasties.