Chinese Soy Sauce — Varieties and Culinary Roles
China — nationally produced; major centres in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang
Chinese soy sauce exists on a spectrum: light soy (sheng chou) — thin, salty, for seasoning and marinades; dark soy (lao chou) — thick, sweet, for colour and braising; double dark or premium (shuang huang chou) — aged, complex; mushroom soy — infused with shiitake. Each variety serves a distinct culinary function and cannot be interchanged without fundamentally altering a dish.