Chicken, the ‘fowl of five virtues’ in Chinese lore, and why Singapore got into a flap over a shortage of the birds

• In Singapore, where chicken rice is almost a national dish thanks to 20th century immigrants from China, the suspension of live poultry imports caused a shock
• The chicken was domesticated thousands of years ago in China, where it was hailed for its benevolence, faithfulness, courage, fighting spirit and literary flair