10. You need a wok and high BTU burner to cook Chinese food.
I've muttered and mumbled about this issue several times before elsewhere on this site, but it really belongs here, so...
First, you need neither, although a wok (炒锅 - chǎo guō, literally 'fry pot', usually shortened to just 锅 - guō) is a very useful and versatile tool in the kitchen. Ideal for stir frying, deep frying, boiling, steaming, smoking etc. In many Chinese homes, the wok may well be the only utensil available. I use one in 95% of my cooking.
Clay pot 沙锅
That said, not all Chinese dishes use woks. Clay pots (沙锅 - shā guō) are often used as are pressure cookers, rice cookers and these hot pot dishes. Stir fries can be done in regular frying pans/skillets, but woks are better. Their high sides enable better, more thorough stirring.
Wok Burners
There are those who will tell you that you can't use a wok successfuly on a regular stove. That will come as a shock to the millions of people across China cooking lunch right now in their woks using regular stoves. I have never seen anyone anywhere in China using a high-temperature wok burner outside of a restaurant.
"But you won't get the 'wok hei' without a high temperature," they complain. Well, here's a secret. Few people care. Few people even know what 'wok hei' is. The expression 'wok hei' (鑊氣) is Cantonese, a language spoken by around 70 million people (most of whom are not even in China), whereas Putonghua (in English, Mandarin) is spoken by around a billion! So, it is really only important in Cantonese cooking. Even in Cantonese speaking areas, people don't use special wok burners domestically.
Elsewhere, restaurants use high temperature cooking for stir fries as it is much quicker - obviously desirable in a busy restaurant or canteen.
Until recently, I didn't even know where I could have bought a high BTU burner in this city, but found one shop in an area selling industrial equipment to business and restaurants etc..
If you want to emulate Cantonese restaurant food, then go ahead and get yourself one. Here, people just go to the restaurant or make do at home on their regular gas stoves.