China produces and consumes rice across an enormous variety of varieties and preparations — and the choice of rice variety is as culturally and culinarily specific as the choice of wheat flour for bread. The fundamental division is between long-grain indica rice (南方米, nan fang mi — southern rice) and short-grain japonica rice (北方米, bei fang mi — northern rice), with southern China strongly preferring indica and northern China traditionally preferring wheat but consuming japonica where rice is eaten. The specific variety — jasmine (香米, xiang mi), Thai jasmine, Chinese long-grain, short-grain, glutinous (糯米, nuo mi), black rice — each has a specific application and a specific cultural home.
Indica (long-grain): Lower in amylopectin starch — the individual grains remain separate after cooking. The preferred rice for Cantonese plain white rice, fried rice, and the rice that accompanies most southern Chinese meals. Jasmine rice (the Thai variety used across Cantonese cooking globally) is an indica rice. Japonica (short-grain): Higher in amylopectin — the grains cling together when cooked. Preferred in northeastern China and used for sushi rice in Japanese cooking. Some Cantonese dim sum preparations use short-grain rice. Glutinous rice (nuo mi, 糯米): Extremely high amylopectin content — the grains are so sticky when cooked that they can be shaped and molded. Used for: lo mai gai (lotus leaf sticky rice), tang yuan (glutinous rice balls), nian gao (New Year rice cake), zong zi (rice dumplings). Never used for plain eating rice. Absorption ratio: For most indica rice for steaming or absorption cooking: 1 cup rice to 1.25-1.5 cups water. For short-grain: 1 cup rice to 1.1-1.2 cups water.
Fuchsia Dunlop, Every Grain of Rice (2012); Fuchsia Dunlop, Invitation to a Banquet (2023)