How do the Chinese prepare and cook Tofu?

Chinese uses different types of tofu. There's the cubed ones they use in soup (most likely the ones you see in containers at the supermarket).

Then there's deep-fried tofu and pressed tofu that you see in most stir-fry dishes. These have a harder skin and firmer inside.

Then, for the steamed tofu dishes, most authentic Chinese restaurants will use soya milk. Some would add eggs and/or chicken stock to it and then steam it until it solidifies.

They probably do press it, pressing the tofu gives it a better texture when baked or fried. Makes the outside crispier and the inside firmer. It's a meatier texture that people like more.

Tofu is also prepared as thin dried skins which are then put in dishes--this may be what you are thinking of.

Cook it with pork. You never smash or press tofu! You cut them into smaller rectangular or square pieces. Here's a famous chinese spicy tofu dish. Its called ma po dofu.
http://www.rasamalaysia.com/uploaded_images/mapo_tofu/mapo_tofu.jpg
They also use tofu to make soup, something like hot and sour soup.

get it out from box gently, it's easy been smashed.
cut it into cubic pieces.
you can
1. put it in the soup with vegitables , maybe seafood,too
2.or cook it as a stir fry , put some spicy sauce in it.
3.eat it directly, dip in sauce (mix green onion(chopped) and soy sauce)
hope these help