As well as adding flavour, spices in Chinese food are used to mask strong odours and add a little heat to the dish. Whole spices added to the pot permeate the meat and adding richness to the sauce which has been cooking slowly for some hours.
Five Spice Powder
The most famous spice used in Chinese cuisine, Five Spice Powder is a combination of szechuan peppercorns, star anise, cloves, cinnamon and maybe ginger, fennel seeds or nutmeg.The combination adds flavour of sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salt all at the same time and is especially good for seasoning meat. 
Star Anise
The unusual fruit of a small oriental tree, star anise is a native of China and Vietnam. It adds a sweet note to food it is cooked with and works with and works well when combined with pork and duck. A vital ingredient of Chinese five spice powder to "red cooked" dishes and snacks.
Szechuan Peppercorns
The reddish brown shell of the prickly ash tree is the part that adds a unique flavour and aromatic note to Chinese cooking. It can be used whole, roasted and added to braised dishes or ground to a powder and used as seasoning when mixed with salt as a dip for roasted chicken. Use sparingly as too much may impart a bitter flavour.
Cassia Bark
Also known as Chinese cinnamon, it is similar in flavour to cinnamon but thicker and tougher in texture. It has a pronounced bitter flavour and is added to "red braised" dishes where food is cooked in a spiced sauce or soup. 
Cinnamon
One of the oldest spice in the world, this sweet, fragrant bark comes from the cinnamon tree and has a more delicate flavour than cassia bark. A vital ingredient of Chinese five spice powder it can be added whole to hotpots and curries. If adding cinnamon powder to a dish, remember to add at the end as prolonged cooking might result is a slightly bitter taste.
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