How a Beijinger brought artisanal French cheese-making to China

Liu Yang loves cheese so much that he didn’t just eat the creamy dairy product when he lived in France for six years – he learned how to make it.

Liu is the man behind Beijing-based artisanal cheese company Le Fromager de Pekin, which translates to “the cheesemaker of Beijing”, and aims to offer discerning cheese lovers a “taste of France away from France”.

Liu took his first bite of processed cheese in 1997 in Beijing, but it wasn’t until 2005, when he was living in Corsica, France, that he tried artisanal cheese.

A fluent French speaker, Liu began watching his cheese-making neighbours, and soon became the only foreigner at the nearby cheese-making school where he studied for a year and a half.

When Liu brought the art of making artisanal cheese back to Beijing, he had a hard time winning over locals. Today, 70 per cent of his Chaoyang store customers are Beijingers. He has even opened a pizzeria which utilises his creations.

What can you tell me about your first taste of cheese?

When I was in university, 20 years ago, I bought cheese in the supermarket [in Beijing] and I think it was from Guangming, a brand from Shanghai. It was processed cheese, in a triangle, very creamy. At that time it was not very common [to eat cheese in China]. I wanted to try it because I never had it. I liked it very much.

After that, you went to France on a scholarship to study the French language, management and international business. How did you get into cheese-making?