With 10 million viewers on YouTube and 25 million followers on microblogging platform Weibo, Li Ziqi, a 30-year-old woman sharing her videos about the detailed cooking methods of various kinds of traditional Chinese food has become an online celebrity both at home and abroad.

Li is the latest in a number of bloggers who, in recent years, have been getting popular with the presentation of Chinese cuisine in various forms including short videos, blogs, smartphone apps, reality shows and so on, stirring the passion for Chinese cuisine.

The great variations in the climate, geography, history and culture of different regions have shaped the Chinese cuisine culture, creating an extensive variety and unique characteristics.

Before, people had to travel long distances to get a taste of regional cuisine. However, with the development of online platforms, food lovers can visually appreciate local delicacies from the comfort of their homes.

"The multi-channel innovative presentations make Chinese cuisine more vivid. They also reveal China's different eating habits and unique taste, so that audiences at home and abroad can appreciate the beauty of Chinese food," said Zhao Heng, a Chinese culture expert.

Recipe goes online

Whether it's fermented bean curd, steaming sweet buns or sun-drying persimmon cakes, you can find the recipes in the videos from Li. While the depictions of traditional and idyllic lifestyle in China's countryside in the videos have a soothing effect, the most attractive part is the mouth-watering dishes she makes.

"I didn't know how soy sauce is made before I watched Li brewing it from scratch in the video," Zhou Tao, a fan of Li, told ChinAfrica.

Zhou likes Li's videos because they show the production process of seasoning and the methods of cooking delicious dishes with them in a vivid way. It is a novel experience for many people living in big cities who can easily get food from a supermarket.

Different from Li's pastoral style, Cat's Kitchen, a popular food vlog, shares beautifully shot cooking methods in a fashionable urban style. The account has over 35 million subscribers with an average of 20 million views per episode.

With a large number of fans, Cat's Kitchen has expanded its business from online to offline, setting up physical brick-and-mortar stores in Beijing, where fans can buy food as well as cooking utensils.

Besides short videos, millennial foodies in China are also familiar with celebrity reality show Chinese Restaurant. The show was conceived in March 2017 to present Chinese food and culture, and made its broadcast debut just four months later, becoming an overnight social media sensation.

According to Xia Qing, the show's producer, the purpose of the show is to introduce Chinese culture to the world by showcasing how the participants cook exquisite dishes.

"We want the world to know more about Chinese culture, and food is a medium to do that," said Xia. "Entering a Chinese restaurant enables people to experience Chinese food, enjoy its hospitality and, through that, learn more about modern China."

Poster of celebrity reality show Chinese Restaurant (FILE)

Food community

When being confined indoors due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Luo Anna, a 32-year-old employee from a financial institution, saw her cooking skills improve by leaps and bounds.

Luo downloaded a popular recipe-sharing app called Xiachufang and it took her only two or three minutes to find an online recipe.

During the epidemic, recipe-sharing apps including Xiachufang and DayDayCook saw a surge in the number of new users as millions of people confined to their homes tried their hands in the kitchen.

Xiachufang registered a 62-percent jump in the number of users in less than a month, with more than 4 million people using it on February 19, compared with roughly 2.5 million recorded on January 25.

Luo said the benefits of the app are related not just to leaning how to cook but also socialization. "Online platforms offer comprehensive information on various types of cuisine. But people can also share their works with others. The app is no longer just about cooking, it is also a social networking site," she said.

According to a recent report by consultancy Analysys Qianfan, the number of active users on the online food community reached about 22.7 million in January, up 5.1 percent on a monthly basis. The average time that users stayed on the platforms rose 23.1 percent.

A cultural bond

Food is an important part of cultural heritage and national identity and it connects people. The Internet helps to better spread Chinese culinary culture.

Amy Simons, an American living in Beijing, began cooking Chinese food with the help of her online teachers—food bloggers.

"I love Chinese food but I never imagined cooking it. Now I find it is not that difficult, after learning from online cooking bloggers," Simons told ChinAfrica. "Now I can make dumplings, pineapple sweet and sour pork and stir-fried rice."

The influence of Li's videos has exceeded her own expectations. She started making cooking videos because she wanted to create something for people to watch and relax. But her videos did more than that. They have garnered much appreciation from users overseas.

Li doesn't talk much in the videos, let alone translation into a foreign language. However, scenes of Li picking seasonal ingredients from her own garden (and sometimes in the mountains and rivers near her residence) and turning them into luscious dishes have captivated foreign viewers.

"She's a gift from heaven," commented YouTube user Jill Hoola. "I just discovered your videos last month and I'm hooked. Thank you for your inspiring and relaxing videos," wrote another YouTube user Odessa Villareal.

(Print Edition Title: Culinary Connections)

Comments to xyy@chinafrica.cn