It is not known exactly when the Chinese first used woks. By examining
extant funerary stoves and stone relief pictures of the Han Dynasty
(200 B.C. to 220 A.D.), the author conjectures that they definitely
have been used for at least two thousand years. Since the Chinese wok
is a concave shaped cooking pan without seams or corners, it war
probably invented to fit directly over the round hole of the Chinese
cooking stove. Wood was used to fuel the cooking stove. When the wok
was put over the cooking hole, the rounded bottom of it would become
the hottest part of it, while the upper sides remained somewhat
cooler. To take advantage of this heating condition, the Chinese
"chow" or stir fry pieces of food that have been cut up into bite
size quickly in the wok. The high heat at the bottom of the wok seals
in the individual flavours of each ingredients. With a quick stir of
the wrist, all of the flavours of the ingredients are blended
together to form harmonious or contrasting tastes and textures.

Deep frying and steaming may also be performed in the wok. The wok is
actually an all purpose cooking utensil for the Chinese. Except for a
very good Chinese cleaver and a pot for cooking rice, that is all
that a Chinese really needs to prepare his meals.

File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cc-wok.zip