One of the standout aspects of China's remarkable culture is, of course, its cuisine. Every region of the country seems to have its own favorites and its own unique way of preparing them. And then there's the unmistakable culinary traditions and practices from France. But what would it be like to fuse them? One restaurant in Washington DC was overcome by the temptation to find out. Frances Kuo has more.

Opening any restaurant, any concept, you're always scared.

But Chef Tim Ma turned his fear into fame, propelling his restaurant Kyirisan to the top ranks in the U.S. capital.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "The best kind of feedback that we get is when they say, 'This is not like anything we've seen before."

What Ma is whipping up is a blend of the best of *French* and *Chinese* cuisines. It's not easy. To Ma -- The two are polar opposites -- right down to cooking styles.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "One is very hot fire, sizzling, everything's one pan. French cooking is a go low and slow and build flavors in the pan."

French cooking, Ma Mastered -- Having trained at New York's French Culinary Institute. The Chinese -- Well, that exposure came early on.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "All I ate was what my mom cooked."

Here's an example of what Chef Ma ended up with. One of his signature dishes is mussels -- traditional french bistro fare -- with a Chinese flair.

Frances Kuo For Chef Ma, opening this restaurant was more than a culinary experience. It led to a deeper discovery about his roots.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "My parents owned a restaurant. My uncle was a famous chef of his time. It's an ode to them. And learning the stories behind those dishes is great, like we're capturing all the history of my parents' generation so I can pass it down.

His family has been supportive -- though the fusion concept isn't always so easy to swallow.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "They don't understand what I do to the food sometimes. That's where the challenge is to try to change people's perceptions of what they're used to."

A life lesson he hopes to impart to his three children -- to whom the restaurant is named.

TIM MA CHEF, KYIRISAN "The past few years of this restaurant has been a very personal journey. The restaurant is super personal to me."

FRANCES KUO, CGTN, WASHINGTON.