The Imperial Cuisine Museum of the Qing Palace, come and see what the emperors ate

Hengdian World Studios is centered around the historical and cultural heritage of China's 5,000 years, and has built several themed museums. Such as the China Film Projector Museum, the Life in the Song Dynasty Market Museum, the Overseas Commodities Museum, the Piano Museum, the Yong'anli 1931, and so on. The Imperial Cuisine Museum of the Qing Palace is located on the west side of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Ming and Qing Dynasties Palace Scenic Area, in the Hongyi Pavilion. Starting from different perspectives such as ingredients, utensils, recipes, and dining etiquette, the museum uses a large number of texts, pictures, cultural relics, specimens, and food models to display and exhibit, allowing visitors to fully understand the profound history of the imperial cuisine of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish, the ancients learned about life from their diet and also elevated their diet in their lives. With the change of dynasties, a large number of stories related to gourmet food have been left behind. During the Qianlong Emperor's southern tours, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines flourished. Qianlong was an experienced 'donkey friend' (traveler) and also a super 'foodie'. He made several southern tours and was fond of southern dishes. Local officials, in order to cater to his preferences, made tremendous efforts, resulting in a large number of famous chefs and dishes. Most of the famous dishes and snacks from Jiangsu and Zhejiang were standardized during this period. Empress Dowager Cixi's imperial meals turned into a show of recipes. Cixi's lunch required 100 dishes, completed by 50 imperial chefs, each responsible for two dishes. This Empress Dowager was not an elephant, so she just tasted a few bites. To ensure Cixi's satisfaction, the Imperial Household Department needed to prepare a menu in advance for Cixi to choose from. This practice was later referred to by the people as 'putting on a show'. The second floor of the museum also introduces China's eight major cuisines one by one: Zhejiang cuisine is delicate, Fujian cuisine is rich, Hunan cuisine is bold, Cantonese cuisine is elegant, Jiangsu cuisine is graceful, Anhui cuisine is fragrant, Sichuan cuisine is spicy, and Shandong cuisine is mellow. It is uncertain whether such summaries are accurate. 📍Detailed address: Zhejiang Province, Dongyang City, Hengdian World Studios, Ming and Qing Dynasties Palace Scenic Area Ticket price: 180 yuan Opening hours: 8:00-16:30