Q&A with Dong Zhenxiang
The chef at Beijing's Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, who recently made a guest appearance at the Mandarin Oriental, talks about why he became a chef and how he has adapted to modern diners
"In 1978, it was still the government that assigned people an occupation. It was not really up to you. At the time, the mainland was very poor, and poverty and hunger had made a deep impression on our hearts. At 21, I was given three options - to be a chef, a barber or a photographer. When I asked my father, who was a chef, what I should do, he told me to be a chef. He said you'll never starve if you're a chef."
"There are four major schools in Chinese cuisine: Shandong, Sichuan, Huaiyang and Guangdong. I started learning Shandong and my dishes are very much of that style. But I've also started learning the other schools, plus Western cuisine. I travel extensively to places such as Hong Kong and Japan to exchange ideas with other chefs. In May, I went to Paris to do a banquet for 110 guests at Michelin-starred restaurant Le Jules Verne [located 125 metres up the Eiffel Tower] and I've developed my own 'vast China' cuisine concept, which infuses all of the four cuisines."
"It has to be Wang Yijun. He's the master of Shandong cuisine. He's a great influence not only in Beijing but all over China. He has superb skills and was [named] the 'king of seafood'. Even though he's in his 80s now, we still work together and see each other often."