https://www.scmp.com/rss/330290/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Flaky, layered buns are a specialty of Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The method of making them is similar to the process for a croissant. But instead of being baked, they’re steamed, creating a fluffy, pillowy pastry. A popular snack in Yunnan and neighboring Sichuan, posubao 破酥包, as it’s known in Chinese, is usually stuffed with mildly seasoned pork belly. Chen Wenjun, the owner of Xiang Man Lou in Sichuan, has been making posubao for over 20 years after he discovered them on a trip to... https://www.scmp.com/food/posubao-flaky-chinese-bun-croissant-steamed/article/3130661?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/posubao-flaky-chinese-bun-croissant-steamed/article/3130661?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Apr 2021 03:12:59 +0000 Tie-dye might invoke images of the 1960s, hippies, and Woodstock, but what about the Bai people of southwestern China? For over 1,500 years, this ethnic group in Yunnan Province has been dyeing their clothes blue using the leaves of a plant locally called banlangen 板蓝根. In the West, it’s more commonly known as woad or Asp of Jerusalem. The story goes that Bai farmers discovered the plant’s dyeing capabilities when their clothes were stained blue by its leaves. “Then they figured out it could be... https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-tie-dye-traditional-medicine-banlangen/article/3113993?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/chinese-tie-dye-traditional-medicine-banlangen/article/3113993?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Dec 2020 07:19:12 +0000 When people think of Chinese food, cheese does not usually come to mind. Lactose intolerance is prevalent—in one study, more than 90% of subjects said they were “lactose malabsorbers.” But there is cheese in China, and locally-made ones, too. Lactose intolerance does not mean people can’t eat cheese, since most lactose is drained out when the curds are separated from whey during the cheese-making process. Still, the population remains dairy-averse. Most dairy consumption is limited to China’s... https://www.scmp.com/food/rubing-chinas-must-try-deep-fried-cheese/article/3111189?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/rubing-chinas-must-try-deep-fried-cheese/article/3111189?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Nov 2020 11:01:48 +0000 China and Japan have a fraught history, but cultural exchanges occur every day. In Shanghai, Masanobu Yoshimizu melds Japanese food culture with locally sourced ingredients at Kurogi, an upscale Japanese eatery in the Bellagio. Founded as an offshoot of the famed Tokyo kaseki joint—but without the yearlong wait for reservations—Kurogi opened in 2018 with the mission of bringing Japanese fine dining to Shanghai. Since then, Yoshimizu, the executive chef, has developed fame of his own. In this... https://www.scmp.com/food/shanghai-chef-making-classic-japanese-dishes-chinese-ingredients/article/3107273?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/shanghai-chef-making-classic-japanese-dishes-chinese-ingredients/article/3107273?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2020 10:15:19 +0000 Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was another outbreak caused by the same family of coronaviruses that wreaked havoc in Asia. The SARS epidemic of 2002-03 sickened over 8,000 and killed nearly 800 people. In 2017, Chinese scientists managed to trace the source of that virus to a bat species in a cave in Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Dotting the mountainous landscape of Yunnan and neighboring Guizhou, the caves have been the haunt of explorers for centuries. There are even spelunking... https://www.scmp.com/travel/inside-chinese-caves-where-sars-may-have-originated/article/3077767?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/inside-chinese-caves-where-sars-may-have-originated/article/3077767?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2020 09:44:54 +0000 In urban societies, foraging is often dismissed as a hipster pastime, but in rural communities around the world, it’s a regular part of daily life. Many wild plants and fungi either cannot be cultivated or are so common that many people don’t even bother. Wild plants also taste richer, according to Dianxi Xiaoge, a Chinese food influencer known for her cooking videos shot in the countryside. “You can’t replace the flavor of wild plants with farmed vegetables,” she says. In China, there’s no... https://www.scmp.com/food/dianxi-xiaoge-yunnan-foraging/article/3065223?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/dianxi-xiaoge-yunnan-foraging/article/3065223?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2020 10:06:39 +0000 When we read about China, it’s easy to assume the country is made up entirely of one ethnic group. The Han people, after all, comprise 92% of China’s population and dominate politics, culture, and society. What often escapes our attention is the extraordinary diversity of China’s ethnic groups. The Chinese government officially recognizes 55 ethnic minorities. In reality, there are even more tribes with their own distinct customs, traditions, and languages than the number suggests. Perhaps no... https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-ethnic-minority-akha-yunnan/article/3052490?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/china-ethnic-minority-akha-yunnan/article/3052490?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Feb 2020 09:15:39 +0000 Whether it’s supermarket spaghetti or instant ramen, most people nowadays buy their noodles dried and premade. But nothing beats making fresh noodles by hand—and it’s not as hard as people think it is. It just takes flour, salt, water and a bit of patience. Handmade noodles are common throughout mainland China, especially in the north, where wheat is dominant. The advantage of making your own noodles—as opposed to buying them from the store—is controlling how thick, salty, and chewy you want... https://www.scmp.com/food/dianxi-xiaoge-chinese-sweet-spicy-noodles-recipe/article/3051496?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/dianxi-xiaoge-chinese-sweet-spicy-noodles-recipe/article/3051496?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2020 00:56:47 +0000 In three short years, a young woman in rural China became an internet sensation, with over 11 million followers worldwide. The video that made her famous? An instructional on how to cook hamburgers for her grandparents in the countryside. “My grandparents and relatives have spent their entire lives in the countryside,” says Dianxi Xiaoge, a vlogger whose videos of life in rural China have a devoted following online. “I really wanted to take them to the city to try hamburgers because in their... https://www.scmp.com/culture/dianxi-xiaoge-exclusive-interview/article/3050052?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/dianxi-xiaoge-exclusive-interview/article/3050052?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Feb 2020 11:14:43 +0000 Ask people from Yunnan what Yunnanese food is, and you’re bound to get different answers. That’s because there is no one Yunnanese cuisine. The province is one of China’s largest in terms of area—and arguably its most diverse, in terms of ethnicity, culture, climate, and thus, food. To the south, Yunnan shares a border with three tropical countries—Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam—while the north is filled with arid steppes that stretch to Tibet. These varied climates not only produce different local... https://www.scmp.com/food/yunnan-street-food-you-must-try/article/3041439?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/yunnan-street-food-you-must-try/article/3041439?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Dec 2019 13:08:20 +0000 A boom in the popularity of cannabis-derived cannabidiol (CBD) in the US and Europe has started a frenzy of interest in commercial hemp grown in China. CBD is believed to help cure a range of illnesses, even though there is little scientific evidence. But that hasn’t stopped the industry from growing. The global CBD market is expected to hit $16 billion by 2025, according to one estimate. Viola Zhou visited southwestern China’s Yunnan province, where it is legal to grow commercial cannabis, to... https://www.scmp.com/china/china-wants-sell-you-cbd-and-become-worlds-biggest-cannabis-grower/article/3029989?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/china-wants-sell-you-cbd-and-become-worlds-biggest-cannabis-grower/article/3029989?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2019 09:36:11 +0000 In China, hot pot is king. The premise is simple: a group of people gather around a simmering broth and dip raw slices of meat, vegetables, and other ingredients until they’re fully cooked. But China is a big country, and just as there are different languages spoken, there are also numerous varieties of hot pot. The ingredients vary by region, and the soup flavors can range from flowery fragrant to numbingly spicy. In Jiangsu province, for example, the broth often includes chrysanthemums. The... https://www.scmp.com/food/guide-all-chinese-hot-pot-styles/article/3014340?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/guide-all-chinese-hot-pot-styles/article/3014340?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2019 13:45:08 +0000 In a remote town in southwest China’s Yunnan province, a team of researchers scrambles down slippery rocks into an abandoned Buddhists’ cave with only torchlights leading the way. Tiny leeches and microsnails glisten on the damp, green walls. This cave in the town of Menglun is part of a vast system of limestone caves called karsts, which spans across more than 300,000 square miles in Southeast Asia and China. The karsts are home to an untold number of unidentified animal and plant... https://www.scmp.com/travel/inside-chinas-caves-where-countless-animal-and-plant-species-could-go-extinct-theyre-discovered/article/3007545?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/inside-chinas-caves-where-countless-animal-and-plant-species-could-go-extinct-theyre-discovered/article/3007545?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Apr 2019 13:36:03 +0000 Every year, hundreds of people go to the mountains of this town in Yunnan to pick mushrooms and sell them on the international market. Yunnan province has 90 percent of all the mushroom species in China. We went to a wild mushroom town, foraged in the mountains, and talked to the locals about poisonous shrooms. This is our first mini documentary and newest episode of our ongoing series, WILD. https://www.scmp.com/videos/tiny-chinese-town-major-player-worlds-mushroom-scene/article/3000151?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/tiny-chinese-town-major-player-worlds-mushroom-scene/article/3000151?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Oct 2018 03:03:32 +0000 Where Yunnan meets Myanmar = real Southeast Asian fusion food. Chef Aiwai is from the Wa ethnic group in Yunnan and he showed us how to make one of his favorite comfort foods, chicken fennel porridge, a rich dish that combines lime, chilis, and his magical ingredient: fennel. Written by: Clarissa Wei Produced by: Clarissa Wei and Nicholas Ko Featuring: Aiwai Shot and Edited by: Nicholas Ko Mastered by: Victor Peña Music kindly provided by Chef Aiwai himself, who kindly let us use his track,... https://www.scmp.com/food/chicken-fennel-porridge-chefs-plate-ep-2/article/2162686?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/chicken-fennel-porridge-chefs-plate-ep-2/article/2162686?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Sep 2018 08:00:45 +0000 When it comes to rice noodles, people often tend to think about Southeast Asia. Indeed, Vietnam’s pho (a textured beef broth with thick rice noodles) and Thailand’s pad thai (a saucy stir-fry of rice noodles with a lime kick) are among the most famous dishes in the international repertoire of rice noodles. But Yunnan—a southwest Chinese province bordering Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam—really knows its rice noodles. It’s not uncommon to see people have it for all three meals. Historical agriculture... https://www.scmp.com/food/nobody-knows-rice-noodles-better-yunnan/article/2161548?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/nobody-knows-rice-noodles-better-yunnan/article/2161548?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Aug 2018 10:30:30 +0000 Yunnan is one of China’s most biodiverse provinces. This Chinese craft brewery is all about that and uses the local flora to make their beer. Written by: Clarissa Wei Voiceover: Clarissa Wei Featuring: Yun Brewery Produced by: Clarissa Wei Shot by: Lui Chen Edited by: Mario Chui Mastered by: Victor Peña https://www.scmp.com/food/craft-beer-local-chinese-ingredients/article/2160026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/craft-beer-local-chinese-ingredients/article/2160026?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Aug 2018 09:00:30 +0000 Depending on where you are in China, asking for the local noodle dish may get you a wildly different result each time. Ingredients, preparation style, and visual look vary from region to region, giving foodies something new to discover in each city. There’s nothing better than chowing down on this remarkably versatile dish, and learning how each region’s culture and tradition have shaped their favorite bowl. Here’s a primer on some of the most common noodle dishes you can find in China. Slurp’s... https://www.scmp.com/food/primer-noodle-dishes-you-need-eat-across-china/article/2159117?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/primer-noodle-dishes-you-need-eat-across-china/article/2159117?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Aug 2018 10:08:55 +0000 The most prized Pu’er tea trees produce tea leaves that’s worth thousands per kilo. Discovered in 1991, the largest of these tea trees is 84 feet tall, nestled in the Ailao Mountains near Qiangzha Village in the Yunnan province of China.  At 2,700 years-old, it is also considered one of the oldest. Clarissa Wei takes us on a hike through the mountains of Pu’er to find this elusive tree, which many villagers consider a deity. https://www.scmp.com/travel/finding-largest-tea-tree-world-wild-episode-1/article/2157580?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/finding-largest-tea-tree-world-wild-episode-1/article/2157580?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Jul 2018 04:34:17 +0000 Leah Li is Yi and a tea merchant in Pu’er, Yunnan Province. This is her family’s traditional tea ceremony, which is performed during cold nights and gatherings. The Yi people are an ethnic group dispersed across southwest China, usually in steep mountainous regions among wild tea trees. Written by: Clarissa Wei Voiceover: Clarissa Wei Featuring: Leah Li Produced by: Clarissa Wei Shot by: Lui Chen Edited by: Mario Chui Mastered by: Victor Peña https://www.scmp.com/culture/tea-ceremony-yi-tradition/article/2154375?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/tea-ceremony-yi-tradition/article/2154375?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jul 2018 04:25:37 +0000