Experience banquets in the royal court

Royal cuisine culture is a precious heritage of traditional Chinese culture, reaching its glorious peak during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. This Spring Festival, CGTN's Caroline Wu took her friend Stef Oerlemans, a Dutch performing arts student from the Beijing Film Academy, to the Chinese Royal Gastronomy Museum, to be immersed in the five thousand years of profound traditional culinary culture of China and feel its charm. 

Xing Xiujuan, chairperson of the Chinese Royal Gastronomy Museum, said, "The Chinese Royal Gastronomy Museum aims to protect the culinary skills shown in the imperial cuisine. Royal cuisine has its origins and literary quotations in every dish. It differs from some folk dishes because it originates in the palace and must have authentic records, sources, and literary quotations."

"One of the most representative royal dishes is 'Buddha Jumping Over the Wall', which includes high-grade ingredients such as sea cucumber, shark fin, and abalone," Xing said.

She added that through this dish, people at the time wanted to express the desire of receiving wealth, blessings, and good luck during the Spring Festival.

Xing said that everyone who goes to the museum is able to sense the cultural heritage and meaning behind the five thousand years of Chinese culinary culture. "I think this is a form of inheritance, and it is also one way of preserving it," she said.

After appreciating the museum exhibits of imperial cuisine culture and tasting the royal dishes, Oerlemans said, "Today was super enriching to see what Chinese people and the emperors have been eating (throughout the) years. It was so much fun, super tasty and I learned so much."