Pad Thai is my favorite dish by either of those traditions, but overall, I like Chinese cuisine more. This will be tough to compare, and I'm not sure how meaningful it will be. The reason is that 99% of Chinese restaurants over here are "Chimerican" while most Thai places, even in rural areas like where I live, are more authentic in their representation. Additionally, authentic Chinese cuisine varies more from region to region than Thai cuisine does from some of its neighboring countries (ex. Laos). Additionally, there's a lot of Chinese food that is consumed by Chinese today that I simply wouldn't touch. Gutter oil is disgusting. The question of "culinary tradition" almost becomes academic the moment China's name is whispered.