中国·福州——热爱城市从热爱美食开始

Authentic flavors from Fuzhou, offering a feast for the eyes and the palate in Beijing

Fuzhou’s Bid for “City of Gastronomy” Fujian Cuisine Promotion Conference Held in Beijing

At the promotion conference, guests tasted the Sauteed Sliced Neptunea Cumingi in Rice Wine Sauce prepared by a master of Fujian cuisine. (Photo courtesy of the organizer)

On the afternoon of October 16, the Fuzhou’s Bid for “City of Gastronomy” Fujian Cuisine Promotion Conference was held in Beijing. It was guided by the Fuzhou Municipal Government and hosted by the Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce. This promotion conference showcased mouthwatering Fujian dishes and rich performances of Fujian opera, bringing a feast full of blessings and warmth to the capital as it entered the early days of autumn.

Authentic flavors, high popularity

The steady pounding of wonton wrappers, the delicate aroma of jasmine tea, and the mouthwatering scents of various snacks filled the air... Around 2 p.m., as soon as the reporter stepped into the Beijing Hotel International Convention Center, he was immediately captivated by the lively, bustling atmosphere that filled the exhibition hall.

Fish balls, pork wontons, yuanxiao, taro paste, shrimp cakes... At the entrance, the Fujian cuisine tasting stalls offered a tempting array of unique, flavorful dishes from well-known “Chinese time-honored brands,” capturing the attention of guests who eagerly stopped to try them.

Fragrant and sweet taro paste, crispy shrimp cakes... The “Chinese time-honored brand” Antailou stall was surrounded by a crowd of visitors eager to sample the offerings. “It’s not too sweet, soft and creamy. Fuzhou taro paste is really delicious!” Miss Chen said with a thumbs-up after trying it.

“I often drink jasmine tea, but I didn’t know it was made this way. The ‘World Intangible Cultural Heritage’ really lives up to its value.” Yan Jinhua, Party Branch Secretary and Deputy General Manager of Minrong Tea Co., Ltd., who was demonstrating the jasmine tea scenting technique at the booth, received a lot of praise from the visitors. “Beijing has a profound jasmine tea drinking culture. We hope to take this opportunity to showcase the unique flavor of Fuzhou jasmine tea,” said Yan Jinhua.

“Since this event is held at the Beijing Hotel, where the ‘First State Banquet in China’ took place, we have not only invited 12 renowned Fujian cuisine chefs to attend in person but also brought iconic state banquet dishes such as Fotiaoqiang, Sauteed Sliced Neptunea Cumingi in Rice Wine Sauce, and Instant-boiled Sea Clam in Chicken Broth,” said Huang Lyubing, President of the Fuzhou Catering and Cuisine Industry Association, hoping that this event would not only create a delicious experience but also better showcase the new image of Fujian cuisine’s high-quality development.

A long culinary bond between Fuzhou and Beijing

Although Fuzhou and Beijing are a thousand miles apart, their culinary traditions are deeply intertwined.

Fujian cuisine became all the rage in Beijing as early as the 1920s. An article titled Fujian Cuisine Restaurants on West Chang’an Avenue wrote, “Since last year, restaurants and taverns have emerged rapidly, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, with booming business… Among them, Zhong Xin Tang has been the most successful, followed by Zhang Lin Chun and Qing Lin Chun, all specializing in Fujian cuisine.”

In 1983, Qiang Mugen and Qiang Ququ, the two master chefs of Fujian cuisine, were awarded the “National Best Chef” at the First National Culinary Competition with their exceptional culinary skills, claiming two out of the ten top spots. Since then, Fujian cuisine and its chefs have become well-known in the capital and captured the attention of the entire country.

“Traditionally, Fotiaoqiang was made in large pots, and the lid would be lifted at the table, filling the room with its fragrant aroma. However, to accommodate foreign guests’ dining preferences and improve service efficiency at state banquets, my father reformed the dish by replacing the large pots with smaller ones.” On that day, Qiang Zhentao, the direct descendant of the two master chefs of Fujian cuisine, who was awarded the honorary titles of Fujian Cuisine Master and Chinese Culinary Master, recalled the story of how his father, Qiang Mugen, and his uncle, Qiang Ququ, prepared the state banquet for the US President Ronald Reagan in 1984. He remarked that it was in Beijing where the iconic Fujian dish, Fotiaoqiang, made a significant leap in its innovative transformation.

With the Fuzhou’s Bid for “City of Gastronomy” Fujian Cuisine Promotion Conference held in Beijing, the culinary bond between the two cities will continue to strengthen.

On October 16, the “Fujian Cuisine Promotion Base” Awarding Ceremony was held. Nearly 20 Fujian cuisine restaurants in Beijing, including Beijing Hotel, Empark Grand Hotel Beijing XinFuxi Restaurant, and M’Master Hall Fortune Pot, as well as other outstanding catering enterprises in Beijing, were awarded the “Fujian Cuisine Promotion Base” plaque. The Fuzhou Catering and Cuisine Industry Association exchanged flags with the Beijing Cuisine Association and the Beijing Restaurants Association.

“We just held the ‘Quan Ju Jing Min · Fu Ju Wei Lai’ Beijing-Fujian Feast Intangible Cultural Heritage Food Week event in Beijing last month, in collaboration with China Quanjude Group. We will use food events as a platform to better fulfill the responsibilities of state-owned enterprises, actively promote the introduction of Fujian cuisine to Beijing and Beijing cuisine to Fujian, and continue to foster deeper exchanges between Fujian and Beijing cuisines,” said a leader from Fuzhou Juchunyuan Group.

“The Fujian Cuisine Promotion Conference is a key step in Fuzhou’s bid for ‘City of Gastronomy.’ We hope that through this event, we can learn more about the best practices and strategies to further develop the catering industry, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning with our peers across the country, and work together to promote the global spread of Chinese outstanding culinary culture,” said a leader from the Municipal Bureau of Commerce.

Unlimited potential of Fujian cuisine for global expansion

“Fuzhou’s bid for ‘City of Gastronomy’ not only boosts the development of Fujian cuisine but also plays a key role in promoting Chinese culinary culture globally.” At the promotion conference, Wu Li, Executive Vice President of the World Federation of Chinese Catering Industry, remarked, “Fujian cuisine is often underrated. Fuzhou boasts a large and influential overseas Chinese community, and the supply chain development of the entire Fujian cuisine industry, along with the continuous updates, reforms, and innovations in its dishes, has far exceeded what consumers might expect.”

Wu Li’s optimism about the prospects of Fujian cuisine’s global expansion is based on solid facts. In April this year, Fuzhou, with the organization of the China Cuisine Association, showcased Chinese cuisine at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, with a particular focus on Fujian cuisine.

From Fujian cuisine masters to time-honored brands, from intangible cultural heritage techniques to Fujian cuisine culture, and from premium ingredients to the restaurant industry chain, Fuzhou has been actively advancing the identification and preservation of Fujian culinary skills and the high-quality development of related industries in recent years. As a result, the city’s culinary landscape is expanding and thriving more than ever.

In 2022, Fuzhou launched its bid for “City of Gastronomy,” which has effectively driven the integration of industries centered around Fujian cuisine and spurred multidimensional urban growth, revitalizing the city’s catering industry.

In 2023, Fuzhou’s catering industry had over 57,000 market entities, with a total revenue of 51.12 billion yuan, marking a 12.6% increase compared to the previous year. In the first half of 2024, Fuzhou’s catering revenue reached 26.58 billion yuan, marking a 13.2% year-on-year increase. As of now, Fuzhou has identified and preserved over 800 Fujian cuisine masters, including Qiang Zhentao and Lin Shuidi, one national intangible cultural heritage inheritor, eight “China Time-Honored Brands” in the catering industry, and 25 “Fujian Time-Honored Brands.”

Song Xiaoxi, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Hospitality Association, also expressed optimism about the development of Fujian cuisine. She said, “We have already co-hosted two editions of the China Food Festival with Fuzhou and signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement. This will further contribute to the development of Fujian cuisine standards and industry systems, and promote the upgrading of both the Fujian cuisine industry and its brands.”

“We hope that through culinary exchange events, we can better preserve and promote the unique charm of Fujian cuisine, further enhance the influence of Fuzhou’s bid for ‘City of Gastronomy,’ showcase the rich history and cultural depth of ‘Fu’ culture to the world, accelerate the development of an international consumption center city and contribute to building a modern international city,” said a leader from the Municipal Bureau of Commerce. (Fuzhou Daily Reporter: Wu Huazhen)