Situated between Zhenjiang and Wuxi, Changzhou belongs to the Wu-speaking (吴语) region of Jiangnan. As the city sits in the Jiangnan circle comprising Nanjing, Yangzhou and Suzhou, its food and lifestyle patterns are influenced by Yangzhou and Suzhou culture. As cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai embarks on his Changzhou food extravaganza, will he get to taste the much-anticipated Tianmu Lake claypot fish head? This is the first article of a four-part series on Changzhou cuisine.
Food
Society
Zibo, a third-tier former industrial city in Shandong, has been revitalised by a somewhat unlikely source: the humble barbecue skewer. Starting with university students back in March, there has been an influx of visitors hankering for a taste of Zibo barbecue. What is behind this sudden trend?
Culture
Ordinary is beautiful, says art historian Chiang Hsun. That’s what the frenzy of war taught his mother; that’s what the simplicity of home cooking reminds us.
Society
China’s food self-sufficiency ratio has plummeted to 76% in 2020, sparking worries of a food shortage. While the government reassures the people that food reserves are plentiful, China is highly dependent on imported food and its area of arable land is declining. China clearly needs to come up with innovative economic, social, environmental and agricultural policies if it hopes to become an “agricultural power” and avoid a food crisis.
Culture
Chiang Hsun ruminates on a myriad of ingredients, marvelling most at the eight vegetable ‘aquatic immortals’ in Chinese cuisine, which showcase the pure and delicious flavours of the season. Best of all, he enjoyed the heavenly dishes during autumn, in a little Shanghai restaurant that feels like home.
Culture
While he is credited for creating the famed Dongpo pork dish, Song dynasty poet Su Shi actually savoured several exotic feasts while he was exiled in Huangzhou, Hubei. Chinese bamboo partridge, masked palm civet — you name it, he’s tried it.
Society
ISEAS academic Leo Suryadinata looks at the Chinese ice cream brand Mixue and the difficulty it faces in getting a halal certificate in Indonesia. What does it say about the power struggle between different interest groups and Indonesia’s processes?
Culture
Recalling a Chinese New Year feast where he was ruffled by feelings of injustice, cultural historian Cheng Pei-kai returns to equanimity with the wise words a friend gifted him: stay true to the values of the Chinese heart and mind, and days of peace and simple joys can unfold all through the year.
Culture
In urban cities, from Singapore to Beijing to Shanghai, eating alone is increasingly embraced, even if it seems to go against human instinct or some food cultures of communal dining. The pandemic has changed some nuances, but the essence of having a cuppa with yourself, nourishing mind and palate, is here to stay.