“While cooking, we don’t measure ingredients. We cook with our heart.“ ~Yáng Hóngyǐng 杨宏影

Yáng Hóngyǐng 杨宏影 (daughter) and Wáng Shúlíng 王淑玲 (mother) live together in Chengdu

Chengdu, Sichuan, China — In 2007, a visit to Chengdu with my nephews barely hinted at the flavors and character I had yet to discover three years later. The difference between traveling guided by a Lonely Planet versus traveling guided by locals, can for the moment be best described by saying, “Was blind but now I see.” Through serendipitous internet ties, a popular Sichuanese blogger and restauranteur Jiǎng Yì 蒋毅, introduced me to Wáng Āyí 王淑玲 (mother) and Yáng Hóngyǐng 杨宏影 (daughter). As Wáng Āyí motions the simplicity behind famous Sichuan dishes, Hóngyǐng introduces each dish using Chinese and English.

Marinating Wuchang fish 武昌鱼.

The kitchen is long and wide, clean, bright, and the counter is lined with bowls of ingredients. Wáng Āyí uses her left hand to mince pork she will use for Má Pó Dòufu. She slides her cleaver to scoop the meat into a bowl and keeps a little on the blade to add umami to the Wuchang fish. Hóngyǐng asks me if “American people steam food” and I rattle off a list of foods often steamed. These family visits give my hosts and I much needed opportunities to demystify our cultures.

Qīngzhēng Wǔchāng Yú (清蒸武昌鱼, Steamed Wuchang Fish)

Fifteen minutes after steamed over high flame, Qīngzhēng Wǔchāng Yú (清蒸武昌鱼, Steamed Wuchang Fish) is tender, light, the meat flaky and fragrant from ginger, scallions, rice wine, and soy sauce. Wuchang fish is a type of bream fish, but this dish can be prepared using other whole fish such as carp, grouper, or sea bass.

Suāncài (酸菜, pickled mustard greens)

Another dish, famous in Sichuan, is Suāncài Yú (酸菜鱼, Pickled Mustard Greens and Fish). Wáng Āyí, pickles her own mustard greens and peppers, as well as makes her own dòubàn jiàng (豆瓣酱, chili bean paste/sauce), in earthenware pickling jars she stores on the balcony.

Grass Carp and pickled mustard greens sliced diagonally, pieces sharing the same size and shape.

Suāncài Yú (酸菜鱼, Fish Soup with Pickled Mustard Greens)

Every piece of fish is soft and zesty from the sour and salty mustard greens. One story behind this dish tells of a servant who pickled vegetables with salt after noticing fellow servants struggling to eat old vegetables. After soaking them in salt and water for several days, the vegetables were delicious and used in many recipes thereafter. Another story follows how a fish was dropped accidentally into a soup of pickled mustard greens from whence this dish was born.

One chicken and one small rice bowl of red chillies.

Hóngyǐng shares endearing details as the cooking lessons proceed. She loves listening to all kinds of music and lets on that she enjoys listening to Lady Gaga. During holidays, when the family members come together, all the men cook together. Jiǎng Yì, the only male in the room today, doesn’t take backstage while Wáng Āyí cooks. He slices the fish for the soup, chops the chicken into 1-inch pieces for the Làzǐ Jī (辣子鸡, Chicken with Chillies), and tosses the pieces into the bubbling oil, crisping the outside while maintaining a moist and tender center.

Làzǐ Jī (辣子鸡, Chicken with Chillies)

Everything in the wok is ablaze with color of red Sichuan peppers, but the stinging spicy aroma flows out of the wok filling the kitchen. Each of us in the kitchen step away from the stove, but the cook is bound, squinting his eyes while tossing the chicken pieces hastily lest the peppers should blacken and burn.

Liángbàn Cándòu（凉拌蚕豆, Cold Mixed Broad Beans)

In the past, Chinese rarely ate raw food. Liángbàn Cándòu (凉拌蚕豆, Cold Mixed Broad Beans) is as Hóngyǐng calls it, a “Chinese salad.” The broad beans are boiled until tender, then mixed with a medley of potent flavors, and left to cool until meal time. Liáng means cold and bàn means mixed. Cucumbers, potatoes, spinach and more can also be parboiled or splashed with hot oil in order to not serve raw.

Má Pó Dòufu (麻婆豆腐, Pock-marked Old Mother's Tofu)

I thought I knew what Má Pó Dòufu (麻婆豆腐, Pock-marked Old Mother’s Tofu) was until I had the real thing in Chengdu. Going to the Asian food aisle in a Western supermarket and picking up a packet of the Ma Po Tofu instant powder to help your hamburger meat, won’t do justice to the real Má Pó Dòufu. Huājiāo (花椒, Sichuan peppercorn) is the magic spice I’d been missing until I moved to China; it not only numbs the senses from the burn of chillies but suffuses the olfactories and taste buds with another woodsy-citrusy-pine-floral flavor. This 19th-century dish is a famous Chengdu dish once served by Lady Chen who was indeed pock-marked. All the fame and deliciousness of her tofu couldn’t bring her a better name, but one would be hard-pressed to find a household in Chengdu unable to whip up a plate of Má Pó Dòufu. Get the recipe!

Wang Ayi making Ài Mó Mó (艾馍馍, Glutinous Wormwood Cakes)

As time passes, Ài Cǎo (艾草, Wormwood) has become more scarce in Sichuan’s markets. Wáng Āyí mixes a little sugarcane-preserved Wormwood with glutinous rice flour and pats together cakes she fries in the wok.

Ài Mó Mó (艾馍馍, Glutinous Wormwood Cakes)

As if eating as many possible now could preserve these cakes from disappearing from existence, Ài Mó Mó‘s (艾馍馍, Glutinous Wormwood Cakes) herbal-sweet flavor stretched my appetite a little more, after eating all of the above. Learning more about dishes in China becoming rarities, I have a strong urge to consume them. I want to remember how these endangered specialties taste, perhaps the same way my dad remembers theatres presenting two special features, a newsreel, and popcorn all for a dime. Wáng Āyí says the herb is no longer easy to find, but just as the ingredients vanish from market stalls, the repertoire of home-style recipes I fear are departing with them. Busy lives, urbanization, and the ease of consuming ready-made foods are amongst some of the factors leading to treats such as these turning into childhood memories.

Yáng Hóngyǐng with mother Wáng Āyí

Together, Hóngyǐng and her mother tell stories and describe their culture through food. Wáng Āyí demonstrates how simple it is to preserve culture through easy-to-cook dishes. Furthermore, one doesn’t need a measuring cup or spoon to learn these dishes. As Hóngyǐng puts it, one need only use their heart.

You can find the original post on Shanti’s blog, ShowShanti.

About the author
Shanti Christensen (湘緹), Storyteller and Food Explorer, travels China meeting families who teach her their favorite home-style recipes. She writes and photographs for ShowShanti.com while collecting recipes for her future cookbook. Her Filipino mother and Danish-American father passed their wanderlust and passion for food to her through their own stories. Shanti and her husband are from San Francisco and have lived in Beijing since January 2007. Shanti enjoys making dinner for friends and family, bringing new flavors and tales to the table.

Details make the difference – especially in the realm of sustainable, luxury off-the-beaten-path travel.

A client once commented, “We don’t mind roughing it during the day, but at night, please get me back to a nice lodge or hotel where I can take a warm shower, have a cup of hot tea, and catch up on some reading by the fire.”

WildChina heeds such requests and zeroes in on delivering the ultimate comfort. We know that travel in China can be demanding and unpredictable. From the big cities to the remotest of villages, WildChina ensures your journey in China is safe, reliable and comfortable.

Recently, on a private journey in Guilin, Guangxi province, our guides and service team proved once again that this commitment enables us to take potentially problematic situations and make them enjoyable and successful for all.

Recently, southern China has been hit by heavy rains, with Guangxi province being no exception. After arriving in Guilin with WildChina clients, the weather in the area took a considerable turn for the worse. As a result, the clients’ outdoor activities, such as going bamboo rafting and watching the Impression Liusanjie performance, would have to be canceled.

Thanks to extensive on- and off-site training, our guides are fully prepared to make alternate plans in the event of special circumstances, such as inclement weather. Wanting to give his clients a “WOW” moment, our guide Stewart thought quickly about unique indoor options. What better idea than to provide them with a tailored biking tour within the indoor grounds of Guilin’s Hotel of Modern Art (HOMA)?

Guilin’s Hotel of Modern Art: the perfect place for indoor exploration during inclement weather. (Copyright (c) Hotel of Modern Art)

The group, especially the children, loved this tour. A perfect choice for families, the hotel is avant garde and peaceful, and provides guests with a new perspective on contemporary art and environment in China. The exquisitely-decorated hotel, with its cutting-edge architecture and interesting story, was a perfect place to explore and play despite the inclement weather.

WildChina guide Stewart saved the day by thinking quickly and creatively about unique rainy day activities.

Of course, this was not the only option for rainy days: Stewart had prepared other options, such as a private landscape painting class and personalize Taichi lesson. Two to three options are always best when providing Plan B, so that clients don’t feel disappointed with an alternative that differs from the original plan.

Not only were the clients pleased with the change – they thought it made the trip perfect. Stewart’s on-the-spot assessment of the situation, flexibility, and logistical expertise made the unexpected itinerary switch smooth and exceptional for all involved. The clients loved their day in HOMA, and truly appreciated Stewart’s suggestion.

This is how we enable our clients to experience China differently. In the face of difficulty or hardship, our local staff and Beijing office adeptly react to changes, survey options, and quickly make decisions, all while making sure that clients are safe and satisfied.

This past Monday, National Geographic ADVENTURE posted an article discussing the excitement – and danger – of skiing the increasingly-popular Mt. Minya Gongga (or ‘Konka’) region in China’s western Sichuan province.

Cliff Ransom writes,

In recent years the [Minya Konka] region has seen a marked increase in climbing expeditions, driven in part by a looser permitting process within China and a growing trend among elite climbers to favor smaller, more technical and unclimbed peaks over 8,000 meter behemoths. It has also seen a concurrent rise in morbid headlines—the rough terrain and unpredictable weather conspire to make the mountains of western China particularly avalanche prone.

While the risk is high, it is certainly rewarding if one can successfully ski this incredible area of China. However, it is equally incredible to trek through this area – as Rigby, Backstrom, Monega, and Chin did in the article – sans skis. WildChina offers an adventurous expedition to Minya Gongga , summiting three high-altitude passes, trekking through alpine forests and grasslands, and hiking the pilgrimage trail to Gongga Temple. Accompanied by expert local guides, travelers experience trekking that challenges even the most avid of climbers.

The reward? An extraordinary adventure in one of the most remote and untouched corners of China. With or without skiing as a part of your trip in this area of Sichuan, Mt. Minya Gongga’s awe-inspiring peaks will provide an unforgettable experience for the adventurous traveler.

The February 1, 2010 edition of the New York Times features a piece on Jiuzhaigou Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China’s Sichuan province that consists of a natural wildlife and forest area.

Jiuzhaigou has experience a significant increase in visitors recently, which reflects the upward trend in domestic Chinese travel in the past year. The New York Times reports, “while the [travel] industry lost ground in Europe and the United States, China’s tourism sector posted a 9 percent jump in revenue 2009, to 1.26 trillion renminbi [Yuan], thanks to domestic demand.”

Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve in Sichuan province (Souce: NYTimes.com)

WildChina has done service work in Jiuzhaigou, and guests on our journey Tracking Wild Panda Footprints, which was featured on Away.com, witness the incredible natural scenery here. Here’s what we have to say about the nature reserve:

With its lush alpine scenery, turquoise lakes and multi-leveled waterfalls, Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve has long been a haven for nature lovers. Jiuzhaigou, where film director Ang Lee filmed breathtaking landscape scenes for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and World Biosphere Reserve. There are fixed travel routes for eco-friendly buses to drive along, with private vehicles restricted from entering the park—extremely important, given that there are 2.5 million visitors each year. Discussion on how to successfully manage mass tourism is always a heated topic here.

Want more information on Jiuzhaigou? Send us a tweet @WildChina or ask Alex at alex.grieves@wildchina.com.

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in rural areas in southwest China. This is the final section of the three part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural areas and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

Jiuzhaigou National Park sits in the rugged West of Sichuan at 2000 meters elevation on the edge of Tibet. This cluster of virgin mixed forests is home to several endangered animals; giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys traverse amongst the limestone cliffs and the effervescent blue lakes. Despite its natural beauty, Jiuzhaigou has had a tenuous history. It was discovered in the early 1970s, and hurt by large-scale logging efforts. Jiuzhaigou was declared a national park in 1978, and the park’s ecological restoration began.

Leaves turn magnificent colors over a crystal lake in Autumn

Jiuzhaigou established a formal relationship with Yosemite National Park in 2006 to promote international cooperation that benefits both parks.

WildChina accompanied the Yosemite team on their first official sister park visit to Jiuzhaigou in 2009. On this trip, Yosemite preservationists completed a four day survey trek through Jiuzhaigou valley. Through these trips and related efforts, the sister parks aim to share resource management techniques and cooperate to preserve natural biodiversity. Read the rest of this entry »

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in rural areas in southwest China. This is the second of a three part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural areas and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

At the upper reaches of the Minjiang river and the edge of the Tibetan plateau sits Shenxi village, the remote home to a group of Chinese villagers. Shenxi village, an hour hike from the nearest paved road, seems a world apart from the rest of civilization. However, the activities of this town profoundly influence the rest of Sichuan province and surrounding areas. Shenxi village sits atop the Sichuan water basin, which stores water runoff from the Himalayas and supplies vital water to Sichuan and regions downriver.

Water cleanliness is a persistent issue for China’s water lifelines that carry snowmelt from the Himalayas eastward to the Pacific Ocean, from which one quarter of China’s population drinks contaminated water every day, according to the United Nations (PDF). These issues with water cleanliness are often the result of unsanitary conditions and practices in human settlements that border major rivers.

Seperated by only a mountain from the epicenter of last year’s earthquake, Shenxi village was devastated by the damage it inflicted. Aside from the toll on human life, many of the buildings in Shenxi collapsed outright and those still standing suffered heavy damage. Villagers who returned to Shenxi village after the earthquake rebuilt their homes with the limited resources available, and the result was a village that lacked adequate sanitation. WildChina recently completed a three day project building bio-friendly toilets in this area.

Students and Villager in front of completed toilet

Read the rest of this entry »

WildChina recently embarked on a series of initiatives to improve local practices in areas that we visit. This is the first of a three-part series examining efforts to improve life for those in rural Southwest China, and the technologies that enable a better standard of living.

Imagine a beautiful, rural, riverside village that serves as a living relic of China’s traditional agricultural history. Then imagine the trash and pollution that clouts this image – unmanaged sewage, outdated farming practices, and unsanitary living conditions, to name a few.

In China’s poor rural communities, scenes like this are all too common. However, organizations such as the Chengdu Urban Rivers Association (CURA), a Sichuan-based NGO, are working to change this by building sustainable development practices in these communities from the ground up. In one such community, CURA hopes to make a model of sustainable development that can be applied to similar rural areas of China. WildChina recently had the exciting opportunity to bring a group of school children from Beijing to engage in this endeavor, specifically to conduct water testing as well as improve water and sanitation technologies.

A new eco-toilet facility, built by students on WildChina's service learning trip to Anlong, Sichuan province.

Located along the banks of the Zou Ma River (one of the Fu-Nan Rivers) near Chengdu, Anlong was once a community plagued by severe water pollution as a result of livestock, chemical fertilizer, and more. Although efforts in the mid-1990s cleaned up the rivers to some degree, the Fu-Nan Rivers Comprehensive Revitalization Project was not entirely effective. As such, communities like Anlong still needed help to rid themselves of pollution and contamination.

CURA has been working with the Anlong community to develop sustainable practices for farming, sanitation, and development. 

Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve read our blog – now hear us on the radio! On Thursday, Oct. 22, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST in the U.S., tune into Let’s Travel!, a weekly, global radio talk show hosted by New York-based Susan Raphael (visit NY Talk Radio.net for live streaming). This week’s show features WildChina Founder Mei Zhang and The Nature Conservancy‘s Lulu Zhou on the topic of responsible travel in China, with discussion on some of our favorite areas: Yunnan and Sichuan.

Let’s Travel! focuses on the world of travel and culture. Through a partnership with the United Nations Foundation’s World Heritage Alliance, which supports World Heritage conservation and sustainable tourism, Let’s Travel! broadcasts a monthly segment on World Heritage.

There will be an encore broadcast of the show on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:00 pm EST. Check back here for the podcast!

Talking to a journalist recently. He asked me: I’m thinking of going to China in Sept. or Oct. to do a story on China’s holy mountains. Have you been to many of them? Any particular one worth profiling?

Here is my answer:
I am sure you’ve researched, two different definitions of China’s holy mountains:
Wuyue, Five sacred mountains:
1. Tai Shan, Taoist mountain of the east, Shandong
2. Heng Shan Bei, Taoist mountain of the north, Shanxi
3. Hua Shan, Taoist mountain of the west, Shaanxi
4. Heng Shan Nan, Taoist mountain of the south, Hunan
5. Song Shan, Taoist mountain of the center, Henan

Four Buddhist mountains:
1. Wutai Shan in Shanxi
2. Putuo Shan in Zhejiang
3. Ermei Shan in Sichuan
4. Jiuhua Shan in An’hui

Shame to say, I’ve only been to Er’mei, which is stunning. Most of these places are very crowded with tourist, but if you opt for hiking up the mountain the same way the monks did years ago, it’s still really beautiful. Jiuhua Shan is close to the Yellow Mountain. There are some lovely villages nearby that’s worth your visit – Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon was filmed there – all those bamboo forests.

If you include Tibet on the list, then I have been the holiest of all Mt. Kailash. I hiked around the mountain myself for 2 days. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.

Teaching English, building roads, and revitalizing schools are not usually the first things that come to mind when most people think of romantic getaways. However, a recent article in TIME talks about couples growing closer through service vacations, or voluntourism.

From the article:

Even though volunteer vacations don’t leave much room for candles and flowers, says Antoniotti, they have been rejuvenating for her relationship. “Not that a typical vacation isn’t fun, but if it’s really easy, you don’t have those experiences that stretch you,” she says. “It’s like in exercise how they say tiny tears in your muscles allow you to get stronger. Little things that take you outside of your comfort zone challenge you as a couple and make you stronger.”

WildChina has always been dedicated to serving the local communities we visit, and we’re constantly on the lookout for new projects. We’ve taken students on service trips in Guizhou, work closely with the WWF in Sichuan, and are developing service trips with Habitat for Humanity. Visit us at wildchina.com and follow us on Twitter to learn more!