Tea-inspired journey

Drinking tea, China's national beverage with a history of more than 4,700 years, is an age-old tradition for Chinese people. Spring teas are especially popular for their rich flavors.

Harvesting the best Chinese tea leaves is based on the best time to consume them. There are numerous varieties to choose from, from yuhua tea from Nanjing, biluochun from Suzhou, longjing from Hangzhou, zhuyeqing from Chengdu and babao tea from Xi'an.

In celebration of spring and the Chinese tea culture, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts presented a tea-inspired culinary experience in April across five destinations.

The tea-inspired dishes were created by Shangri-La's Chinese executive chefs: Peter Yu in Hangzhou, Joe Hou in Nanjing, Li Tok Fan in Chengdu, Randy Zhang in Xi'an and David Lui at Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai.

The chefs presented their interpretations of the spring season, integrating teas and the freshest seasonal produce into their dishes.

Each hotel's menu was designed to showcase the uniqueness of each destination and featured Shangri-La's spring tea as recommended by the Shangri-La Group's professional tea sommelier. Promotional menus are available until the end of May.

Pork ribs stewed with aged pu'er tea is a speciality offered at Shangri-La Hotel, Nanjing, and is widely popular among the hotel's guests.

Diners can also taste other signature dishes such as the West Lake longjing tea shrimp, baked Hanjiang River fish with tieguanyin tea, green tea braised pork trotter, and baked chicken with maofeng tea.

Desserts are served in tea-themed plates and pots. In Nanjing, on a plate made of chocolate, several flower-shaped desserts are surrounded by a chocolate tea pot and little shining Yuhua stones, a local souvenir.

Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai, closed the Shangri-La Chinese tea-inspired, five-city journey with an old Shanghai-themed dinner party.

The dinner banquet included 12 Chinese tea-inspired dishes prepared by the five Shangri-La Chinese executive chefs. The night progressed with a waltz competition and continued with an after-party at 1515 West Bar, where guests were entertained with tea-inspired cocktails.

"Chinese people love tea and the rich tea culture," said Jean-Philippe Jacopin, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Xi'an. "It showcases the Chinese hospitality, which is the way we treat people. The five sets of tea-inspired menus represent the five destination's gourmet culture.

"At the same time, as an extension of the culture of Chinese tea, the Chinese hospitality is in line with Shangri-La's core value of humility and sincerity. They guide us to treat each other with sincerity, making our guests feel a special kind of hospitality - hospitality from the heart."

Contact the writer at cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/28/2016 page10)