Beijing, serving as China's capital for over 700 years, boasts a unique cuisine created through the integration of various ethnic groups and the influence of both imperial and civilian lifestyles.
Dashilan and Qianmen, a historic and cultural center in Beijing, have significantly contributed to the development and preservation of Beijing cuisine. Business there has thrived since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and they became the epicenter of Beijing's culture and entertainment about 100 years ago.
Like many shops on the famous commercial streets of Beijing, a Beijing duck restaurant has a history of over 100 years.
"We use ducks native to Beijing. The cooking process involves 36 procedures, using the handmade tradition. I'm the sixth - generation inheritor, and I'll do my best to keep the taste consistent," said Xiao Baolin, an inheritor of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Technique of Roasting Duck.
The crispy duck skin is eaten with white sugar, while the breast meat is rolled in a pancake with scallions and sauce.
"There are three Quanjude in Canada -- Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. There's one in Bordeaux. There are, I think, three in Japan. They are going international," said Jim Boyce, a foodie from Canada.
Many of Beijing's street delicacies have their roots in imperial court cuisine. Take Luzhu, for example, which originated from a royal dish called "Suzhou-style stewed pork." However, smart Beijingers swapped the expensive pork -- the main ingredient -- for affordable pig offal, creating a nutritious and hearty dish perfect for winter.
"My friend, who has been a chef for 20 years, he is a Beijinger. He says Luzhu is the real Beijing dish. It's a very working-class dish, but also full of nutrients. It's healthy, and it's great in the winter. It will warm you up," said Boyce.
To cater to the consumption habits of young people, century-old stores are blending Beijing's culture and aesthetics into coffee, bridging the past and the present.
In century-old stores on the century-old streets, the food becomes a tangible piece of history of Beijing, which was the mixing point of nomadic and agriculture lifestyles during the ancient time.
"If you look at pictures of Beijing from a hundred years ago, you see camels in Beijing. These were nomadic people coming through, and if you also look at those pictures, you see people selling tanghulu (sugar-coated haws on a stick). You could go on the street and buy tanghulu, so there is this long history of food here," said Boyce.
Beijing cuisine mirrors city's rich history
Beijing cuisine mirrors city's rich history
China will take more effective measures to improve people's wellbeing, especially in education, healthcare, and social security, an official said Thursday in Beijing at a press conference on the interpretation of this year's government work report, which was submitted to the national legislature for deliberation earlier in the day.
Shen Danyang, head of the government work report drafting team and director of the State Council Research Office, said centering on enhancing educational equity and quality, the report made arrangements for education at all educational stages and of all types.
"Regarding preschool education, the policy of free education in the year prior to entering primary school will continue to be implemented this year, which is commonly referred to as free admission to the senior class of kindergartens. So, how can the income reduction of kindergartens be addressed? Subsidies will be provided by both the central and local governments, with the central government taking the lion's share. This year, the funds allocated to support the development of preschool education will increase significantly by 37.8 percent to ensure the implementation of the beneficial policy," he said.
Regarding senior high school education, Shen said the report stated that the supply of regular senior high school places will be increased,
Specifically, for areas with a continuous net inflow of population, a number of regular high schools will be planned and constructed on an annual basis. For regions with a temporary shortage of school places, priority will be given to the renovation and expansion of existing teaching buildings, student dormitories and canteens, he said.
Shen said the report put forward many supportive measures in healthcare.
"For instance, it urged efforts to strengthen coordination in drug use at the grassroots level, which mean improving the list of essential drugs, and optimizing the channels for drug supply and drug use coordination between upper- and lower-level medical and health institutions to make it more convenient for the public to use drugs at their doorstep. Besides, the report has made arrangements for supporting the development of innovative drugs for the third consecutive year. This year, China will strengthen the coordination of supportive policies in an all-round way, further address issues such as the barriers facing innovative drugs entering hospitals, and better meet the diverse medical and medication needs of the people," he said.
In terms of social security, Shen said the report proposed to continue raising the minimum standard of basic pensions for urban and rural residents -- a policy will benefit over 180 million elderly people.
"The central government will allocate 1.25 trillion yuan (about 181.25 billion U.S. dollars) in subsidy funds to ensure the timely and full payment of pensions. In response to the insufficient protection of the rights and interests of people engaging in new occupations, the report proposed to steadily and orderly expand the scale of the pilot program for occupational injury insurance. This year, the policy will cover 31 provincial-level regions across the country and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Meanwhile, enterprises specializing in travel, instant delivery and intra-city freight delivery will be included in the pilot program, which will ensure the safety of more laborers, such as food delivery workers and online car-hailing drivers," he said.
China to improve people's wellbeing in education, healthcare, social security: official
