Abstract: The flavor genre of Sichuan cuisine has been divided in the form of “clique” (bangkou in Chinese) which originated from the clique of the shipping oarsmen on the Yangtze River within Sichuan Province in the modern times. However, the classification criteria have always been various in the Sichuan Cuisine theory, which mainly include several flavor genres such as the Shanghe Clique, the Xiahe Clique, the Dahe Clique, the Xiaohe Clique etc. The theory has not been consensual and conclusional until now. There are big differences among the various divisions, which are not conducive to the development of modern Sichuan cuisine. This paper attempts to propose that modern Sichuan cuisine is composed of new regional cuisines such as Chongqing cuisine, Luzhou cuisine, Chengdu cuisine, and Panzhihua cuisine. They jointly build a modern Sichuan cuisine theory system which may represent the highest artistic achievements in the development of modern Sichuan cuisine.

Key words: Sichuan cuisine, genre, clique, Chongqing cuisine, Luzhou cuisine, Chengdu cuisine, Panzhihua cuisine