A Bite of Fuzhou | Xing Na: The Favorite of Authoritative Restaurant Rankings Is Fujian Cuisine?
On March 25, the 2025 “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” list was unveiled in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 15 restaurants from Greater China made it into the top 50 in Asia, including 7 from Hong Kong, 2 from Taiwan, 1 from Macao, 4 from Shanghai, and 1 from Beijing.
Notably, Meet the Bund, a Light of Fujian Cuisine, leapt from No. 50 to No. 14, ranking highest among Chinese mainland restaurants. Fujian cuisine master Wu Rong and his apprentice Chen Zhiping received thunderous applause from the audience...
That evening, my WeChat Moments was almost entirely flooded with this thrilling news.
First Encounter with Meet the Bund
The Romance of a Flower Lantern
My first meeting with Wu Rong was at the 2021 Black Pearl Awards ceremony in Yangzhou. Since then, I’ve watched as Wu Rong, alongside his apprentice Chen Zhiping, led their restaurants Yanyu and Meet the Bund to sweep several prestigious rankings, becoming darlings of the Michelin Guide, Black Pearl, and Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Chen Zhiping even won the title of Michelin Young Chef in Shanghai in 2022.
In 2023, at Meet the Bund in Shanghai’s Xintiandi, I recognized the true “Light of Fujian Cuisine.”
That was the first time I met Chen Zhiping, a boy born in 1990 who still had a youthful, boyish look. His hometown is Jinjiang, Quanzhou. He initially worked with his master Wu Rong in Xiamen, where Wu had founded Yanyu, a restaurant recognized by both the Black Pearl and Michelin. One day, Wu Rong decided to open a Fujian restaurant in Shanghai and assigned Chen Zhiping as head chef. That restaurant would go on to become the now-famous Meet the Bund in the culinary industry.
From the moment it landed on the Shanghai dining scene, Meet the Bund has been telling a story of pairing Fujian cuisine with tea.
The five teas are collectively named “Flavor”. The opening act features a single-petal jasmine tea after scenting, with jasmine being the most renowned floral tea from Fujian. “Scenting” refers to a traditional tea-making technique. Simply put, the tea absorbs the jasmine fragrance without visible petals, and the premium product is rare and costly. The Wudong Honey Orchid Aroma Dan Cong Tea is paired with Fotiaoqiang, creating a heavenly match where both elements elevate each other perfectly.
When selecting teas, Meet the Bund doesn’t limit itself to Fujian but instead takes a broader, more discerning perspective. The ancient arbor raw Pu’er from Jingmai Mountain in Yunnan is a vintage of 2011, and pairs perfectly with the main course. Tongguan’s Lapsang Souchong offers a unique smoky flavor. A competition-grade Oriental Beauty tea has a very elegant and intellectual air, making it the perfect ending.
Fujian cuisine has long been jokingly referred to by many food critics as the most low-key among the eight major Chinese cuisines. But in the eyes of Wu Rong and Chen Zhiping, it is a powerful means of self-expression. The bounty of the land across Fujian becomes a serendipitous banquet, expressed through seasonal menus themed around chapters like “Bathe”, “Surge”, “Shoal”, and “Play.” The Five Treasures of Land and Sea embody the warm greetings of Fujian’s terroir. Dishes such as scallion-tossed fresh beancurd sticks, crystal jelly made from native bamboo shoots, aged wine-marinated cambarus, smoked Eleutheronema tetradactylum, and five-spice heaven and earth bun all use the most appropriate preparation and seasoning methods to present the authentic flavors of Fujian.
The king of Fujian cuisine is Fotiaoqiang. When serving the dish, Chen Zhiping asked, “Would you mind a little touch of ceremony?” Then, the lights in the private room slowly dimmed. “This soup tureen reminds me of the flower lanterns from my hometown of Quanzhou,” he said, “so I brought it to Shanghai.”
The distinctive presentation, softly glowing under the shadows of Shanghai’s Shikumen architecture, radiated the warmth of candlelight and conveyed to me the true essence of the “Light of Fujian Cuisine”. The broth was both clear and rich, and the ingredients - fish maw, pigeon egg, sea cucumber, dried scallop, and abalone - each played their part in perfect harmony, echoing the name of the menu: Fusion, the beauty of blending.
At that time, I had just moved to Fujian and was only beginning to explore the world of refined Fujian cuisine. Although I had gradually become familiar with some ingredients and flavor profiles, I was still far from gaining a deep understanding. Even so, I was delighted to discover a restaurant like Meet the Bund, which had carved out a space for Fujian cuisine on the Shanghai dining scene through sheer effort. At the time, their new restaurant on the North Bund was still a month away from opening.
The Skyline of Fujian Cuisine
The Light of Fujian Cuisine Shines Bright
At the Meet the Bund in Shanghai’s Xintiandi, I was struck by the romantic ambiance of the flower lantern. That menu remains unforgettable to this day - it felt like I had been handed the flavor code of a Fujian culinary atlas. One year and one month later, I found myself at the new restaurant on the North Bund, with an unbeatable riverside view. Before I had a chance to take in the surroundings, Chen Zhiping had already entered the private dining room. By then, I had mostly learned to distinguish the subtle differences among the southern Fujian, eastern Fujian, central Fujian, and northern Fujian cuisines.
What’s the secret to Meet the Bund’s success? In my view, it lies in its interpretation of terroir. They never limited themselves to ingredients from Xiamen or southern Fujian. Instead, they incorporated produce from across the entire Fujian Province. Over the years, Chen Zhiping followed his master Wu Rong to many different places. I once asked him out of curiosity, “Have you ever thought about cooking other dishes?”
I still remember his response. He said, “I was born in Jinjiang. I belong to this land of southern Fujian. Everything about this place fascinates me. I’ve dined in restaurants across many countries and tried countless new flavors, but my passion has always remained with Fujian. I think I may keep cooking it for the rest of my life.”
Just a few days ago, I met up with Master Wu Rong in Xiamen. We had an in-depth conversation about Fotiaoqiang. To this day, people still ask: What does an authentic version of the dish look like? Is it only the old Fujian chefs in Fuzhou who can make the original? Yet the owner of a renowned Fotiaoqiang restaurant in Fuzhou once confided to me that their version had been guided by Wu Rong himself.
In the documentary Chinese Fujian Cuisine, I felt like I found some answers to these questions. The spirit of preserving tradition while embracing innovation has always been etched into the bones of Fujian people. No one here avoids new trends. In fact, we meet the tide head-on.
To venture out to sea has always been part of the Fujian people’s DNA. Wu Rong and his apprentice Chen Zhiping set out from Xiamen, made their mark in Shanghai, and have now expanded to Beijing. From Xiamen’s Yanyu to Shanghai’s Meet the Bund, their restaurants have garnered Black Pearl awards, Michelin stars, and recognition from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, elevating Fujian cuisine to the level of a skyline in the culinary circle.
Why Has Fujian Cuisine Gone Viral?!
Who Will Be the Next Meet the Bund?
Many would agree that among the eight major regional cuisines of China, Fujian cuisine is the most understated. Cantonese cuisine has long dominated Michelin, Black Pearl, and other top-ranking lists. But Fujian cuisine shares many similarities with Cantonese, and knowledgeable foodies from Guangdong are also great admirers of Fujian dishes.
In Fuzhou, the 2023 launch of the Black Pearl Guide and the 2024 Michelin awards ceremony took many locals by surprise. Why was this modest provincial capital suddenly being favored by so many prestigious lists? In my view, it has much to do with the city’s recent rise.
To those unfamiliar with Fuzhou, it may seem like a laid-back city with mountains, rivers, and a slow pace of life. But if you explore Fuzhou through the lens of history and culture, you’ll find it has always been a city of great historic renown. The inscriptions on Gushan Mountain reflect its rich humanistic legacy; Shangxiahang records stories of bygone travelers; and Yantaishan has become a trendy hub of fashion…
Fuzhou’s fine dining mirrors the city’s character: gentle and unhurried. The low-key nature of people in Fuzhou is just like the character conveyed by this city. They are not in a hurry to express themselves. More often than not, they just do things quietly and then wait for time to answer.
Reproducing the success of Meet the Bund isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible either. It’s not that Wu Rong and Chen Zhiping are beyond surpassing, but rather that Fujian cuisine needs more possibilities. For those working in Fuzhou’s restaurant industry, here are several directions worth exploring for elevating your establishment:
I. It is necessary to emphasize the expansion of the flavors of Fujian cuisine and the greater possibilities of Fujian ingredients. Every list needs originality. The creativity of the head chef is the driving force behind a restaurant’s progress. As a key component of Fujian cuisine, Fuzhou cuisine still holds many untapped traditional flavor profiles worth rediscovering.
II. It is essential to tell the stories of Fujian’s tea culture in relation to its cuisine sincerely. Fujian has a rich heritage of tea. Integrating Fujian’s tea with dishes to create a well-curated tea pairing menu will help your restaurant win promotion in all lists.
III. Thoughtful service is very important to fine dining. Some ranking systems even offer awards for best service. While the chef is critical, service cannot be overlooked for a restaurant. More and more restaurants are offering detailed services in practice, allowing more guests to experience them.
IV. Sommelier service is often neglected in Fuzhou but is increasingly important. As more guests, both domestic and international, visit Fuzhou, offering excellent wine service becomes a key factor in aligning with global standards. Attention should also be paid to the preferences of local guests. For instance, presenting baijiu and Green & Red Wine with different wine sets.
V. Hope shall be placed in the younger chefs. Having ventured abroad from a young age, they are enriched by diverse cultural and life experiences. Upon returning to their homeland, they may instantly rekindle a deep understanding of local ingredients. Their unique fusion of mountain and sea could well define the future of Fuzhou’s catering industry.
Further Reading
The Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is a list of restaurants voted on by over 350 industry leaders, including food writers, food critics, chefs, restaurant entrepreneurs, and Asian culinary experts, and includes outstanding restaurants from 16 cities in Asia. It aims to provide the world's best dining locations for selection. Compared with the wide audience of Michelin, it has attracted the attention of many professional catering professionals.
Author: Xing Na
Veteran Media Professional
Lifestyle Writer
Manager of Model Bookstore