The Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) toured the south six times between 1751 and 1784, acquiring a taste for the rich, hearty food of the Yangtze River Delta – now known collectively as Shanghainese – in the process. But tales of the emperor dining at local restaurants incognito were just that: they might even have been marketing ploys devised by the restaurants themselves. What did result from the multiple imperial tours, however, was the refinement and innovation of the region’s cuisine.
To win imperial favour and lucrative contracts, local officials and prominent families competed with one another to entertain the emperor and his sizeable entourage, all of whom were used to fine dining back in the capital. And so there emerged in the Yangtze region an F&B industry replete with celebrity chefs, gastronomes and food critics. In fact, many present-day Shanghainese dishes were conceived or took on their present form during that period.