The main difference between China and the United States is that, unlike other places, everyone has his own plate of food, China cooking, which is put on the table to share with you. If you receive your host in China, you have prepared a ton of food. China people are very proud of their food culture, and they will try their best to give you the taste of many different kinds of dishes. Between friends, they just want to have enough people. If the relationship between the people they take out to eat is semi-polite, then they usually order one more dish than the number of guests (for example, four people, five dishes). If it is a business banquet or a very formal occasion, it may be a huge amount of food and it will not be completed.
A typical meal starts with some cold dishes, such as boiled peanuts and cucumber garlic. These are the second main courses, hot meat and vegetables. Finally, soup is served, which is a "staple food" with starch, usually rice or noodles or jiaozi. Many people in China end up eating rice (or noodles or other things), but if you like to eat with other dishes, you should say it earlier.