中国·福州——热爱城市从热爱美食开始

Zheng Chunfa Fotiaoqiang is served to the guests. (Photo by Reporter Chen Nuan)

Recently, the renowned restaurant rating system, “Michelin Guide,” announced that it will include Fujian for the first time as a destination for exploring top-quality restaurants and making a dedicated list. Among the cities in Fujian, Fuzhou has been selected as one of the three key starting points for the Michelin Guide’s exploration of local flavors and culinary culture. The restaurant list is expected to be released by the end of 2024.

After Fuzhou restaurants were featured in the “2024 Black Pearl Restaurant Guide” for the first time in January, another prestigious restaurant guide has now set its sights on the city. From “Golden Phoenix Tree” to “Black Pearl” and now “Michelin,” Fuzhou’s increasing recognition by top restaurant guides highlights not only the growing influence of Fujian cuisine but also the vast potential of Fuzhou in its pursuit of becoming a “City of Gastronomy.”

Benefits of Being Included in the Restaurant Guide

Last weekend, Zheng Chunfa Fotiaoqiang Restaurant, located on the third floor of Sandi Xintiandi Mall in Taijiang District, was bustling with customers. The rich, savory, and sweet aroma of the dishes was especially tempting in the restaurant’s tranquil and elegant setting.

“We specifically chose this restaurant based on the restaurant guide, hoping to try authentic Fotiaoqiang. We were pleasantly surprised by how delicious it is,” said Ms. Yuan, a tourist from Beijing, as she enjoyed the steaming Fotiaoqiang.

When visiting a new city, experiencing the local culture and customs is a must, but trying the unique flavors of its cuisine is also an essential part of the experience.

There are many diners like Ms. Yuan who come here because of its reputation and leave completely satisfied. Since the release of the “Black Pearl Restaurant Guide” earlier this year, the featured Zheng Chunfa Fotiaoqiang and Harmony Garden have become the top choices for lots of visitors looking to experience Fuzhou cuisine.

“Our products have always been loved by seasoned food enthusiasts. However, even the finest wine needs a good salesman. These renowned restaurant guides undoubtedly provide a reference for diners who are unfamiliar with Fujian cuisine, helping us expand our market further,” said Zhang Jianming, the founder of Zheng Chunfa Fotiaoqiang. After being featured in the Black Pearl, the proportion of walk-in customers coming for the restaurant’s reputation has increased to 30%.

“Fuzhou’s inclusion in the Michelin Guide will elevate the city’s dining market, further boost the growth of the cultural and tourism industries, and attract more outstanding dining brands to the city," said Huang Lyubing, President of the Fuzhou Catering and Cuisine Industry Association. The Michelin restaurant rating system is based on a 100-point scale, with 60% of the score focused on food quality, 20% on the dining environment, and 10% each for service and wine pairing. These detailed standards help drive the overall improvement of Fuzhou’s restaurants. For example, recently, Juchunyuan Hotel invested 8 million yuan to refurbish and reopen Sanyouzhai, while Wenru No. 9, known for its scholarly atmosphere, has also been making improvements and actively participating in the restaurant rating of Michelin and Black Pearl. “These are all key efforts in Fuzhou’s bid for ‘City of Gastronomy.’”

“Nowadays, many tourists travel to a city just to taste its delicious food. The inclusion of Fuzhou in the Black Pearl and Michelin guides will undoubtedly bring new opportunities for the development of Fujian cuisine. We will take this opportunity to make Fotiaoqiang a city signature, helping more out-of-town visitors learn about Fuzhou and enjoy Fuzhou’s delicacies,” said Zhang Jianming.

Development Achievements of the Catering Industry

“It’s been incredibly popular, with all 10 private rooms fully booked. Dishes like Juchunyuan Fotiaoqiang, Instant-boiled Sea Clam in Chicken Broth, and Lychee Pork are in high demand. I never thought that Fujian cuisine would be such a hit with people from Hebei!” Luo Shiwei, the national-level inheritor of the Juchunyuan Fotiaoqiang making technique, was overjoyed at the strong market response when Juchunyuan Fotiaoqiang Restaurant opened in Tangshan last year.

This is just a glimpse of Fujian cuisine’s expanding presence. In recent years, with the goal of building an International Consumption Center City and striving to become a City of Gastronomy, Fuzhou has been continuously enhancing the protection and development of Fujian cuisine, expanding industry exchanges and cooperation, and consistently promoting its global reach.

A series of policies have been issued to provide clear guidance for the development of Fujian cuisine, including the Three-Year Action Plan of Fujian Province for Accelerating the Innovation and Development of New Fujian Cuisine (2023-2025), the Three-Year Action Plan to Promote the Prosperity of Fujian Cuisine, the Three-Year Action Plan of Fuzhou City for the Protection and Development of Fujian Cuisine, and the Action Plan of Fuzhou City for Its Bid for “City of Gastronomy.”

An increasing number of major events, including the 2023 China International Catering Industry Expo, the 23rd China Food Festival, and the 32nd China Chefs Festival, have been hosted, further boosting Fuzhou’s influence in the catering industry.

The “Fuzhou, the City of Gastronomy” Fujian Cuisine Promotion has been held in cities like Shanghai, Yangzhou, and Chengdu. In April 2024, Fuzhou cuisine was presented at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, further broadening the global reach of Fuzhou’s culinary delights…

The data from the Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce highlights the flourishing development of Fuzhou’s catering industry.

Currently, Fuzhou is working on upgrading and building 12 city-level food experience demonstration streets (towns) and establishing 84 provincial-level “Fujian Cuisine Restaurants.” There are more than 57,000 market entities in the catering industry, with 701 catering businesses above designated size. In 2023, the total revenue from the catering sector reached 51,122.84 million yuan, marking a year-on-year growth of 12.6%.

Measures for the Inheritance and Development of Fujian Cuisine

As Fujian cuisine restaurants and chefs continue to preserve and innovate their cooking techniques, the government has been consistently improving the consumption and business environment. At the same time, industry professionals are growing more optimistic about the future of Fujian cuisine.

“If food quality alone were the standard, Fujian would have made it into the Michelin Guide long ago. Fujian cuisine has a rich heritage, a wide range of ingredients, diverse flavors, and numerous renowned dishes,” said food columnist Zhuo Chengxi. While Fuzhou’s inclusion in prestigious restaurant guides like Michelin is a matter of course, the real focus should be on how to seize this opportunity to further expand the reach of Fujian cuisine.

Bao Xiyu, a member of the CPPCC Fuzhou Municipal Committee and a tourism professional, sees great potential for the development of culinary culture within the tourism sector: “By organically combining Fujian cuisine, tea, and wine with Fuzhou’s cultural heritage, we can create related cultural products and souvenirs, while also promoting the integration of Fujian cuisine culture museums with the tourism industry.”

Experts suggest using the “Fujian cuisine + new media” approach to promote Fujian cuisine on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin. This could involve broadcasting promotional videos, organizing creative contests, and collaborating with content creators to produce short videos about Fujian cuisine, so as to capture people’s attention, keep them engaged, and ultimately boost the visibility and influence of Fujian cuisine.

“Fujian boasts a unique culinary tradition that is deeply rooted in Chinese culture and truly captivating. The Michelin Guide will spotlight restaurants that showcase local specialties, highlighting the finer details of culinary traditions, and bringing the city’s rich and diverse dining culture to the global stage, thereby drawing even greater attention,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide. (Fuzhou Daily Reporter: Wu Huazhen, Trainee Reporter: Fu Yijing)