Chinese advocated the philosophy of five tastes in harmony

Vinegar    Spicy	Bitterness Chatham  Sweetness

Ever since long ago, the Chinese advocated the philosophy of “five tastes in harmony”. They invented ways to adjust blended ingredients and spices for a wide variety of tastes.
Of the “five tastes,” saltiness is the principal taste. It is the most simplistic and most crucial. Salt is needed to heighten any texture in foods. Pungency is the most stimulating and complex of the “five tastes.” Sourness is also an indispensable taste in foods, especially in the northern part of China, where water supply is heavy in minerals and strong in base. Pungency is not just a sense of taste as it involves sense of smell as well. Bitterness is rarely used alone in cooking, but is a valuable asset. Traditional Chinese medicinal theories believe that bitterness is helpful for the stomach and produces saliva. Sweetness has the affect to cushion the effect of other basic tastes, whereas saltiness, sourness, pungency and bitterness are all too strong, they could be remedied by sweetness.
Revolving around the “five tastes,” which are sourness, sweetness, bitterness, pungency and saltiness, dishes can evolve into more than 500 different flavors.