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Fangshan Restaurant's "Man-Han" Traditional Thrives

The Chinese cuisines found in Beijing are mostly imperial and various regional   cuisines. Indeed, imperial cuisine represents a blend of regional cuisines, because emperors wanted the best foods the empire had to offer to the Forbidden City.

Founded in 1925 by several former imperial chefs, following the fall of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) and its last emperor’s (Pu Yi’s) departure from the Forbidden City, the Fangshan Restaurant in Central Beijing’s Beihai Park is the very best place to savour authentic Chinese imperial cuisine.

“Fangshan” in Chinese means “imitating imperial cuisine,” but there is nothing imitation about the foods offered in this time honoured restaurant. With the overthrow of the feudal society, the chefs in the palace were relieved of duty. Several of them decided to open the Fangshan Restaurant to market their skills. After the People’s Republic was founded, the late Premier Zhou Enlai felt strongly that imperial cuisine should be preserved. With his help, in 1955, Fangshan moved from north end of Beihai Park to Qionghua Island on Taiye Pool near Beihai’s South and East Gates, where it settled in an ancient structure adjacent to the long corridor surrounding Qiong Hua Island. The restaurant can be found at the northern base of the highest point in the park near the White Dagoba (Baita). The ancient structure housing the restaurant has been well-maintained since its establishment during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736–96), where annually on the fifth day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, emperors and their wives and concubines came to view candlelit lanterns on Taiye Pool.

To ensure imperial cuisine’s survival, Premier Zhou assisted a nationwide search for all the chefs who had ever worked in the imperial palace. Key personnel at Fangshan Restaurant today represent the third generation of descendants of these chefs. In addition, research has been conducted at the Palace Museum to get more information about imperial cuisine. Pu Jie, the younger brother of Pu Yi was many times invited to taste the imperial cuisine cooked at Fangshan to test its authenticity. Improvements concerning every thing from the appearance to the tastes of dishes have been made on his suggestions. 

Imperial cuisine peaked during the Qing Dynasty, when it was symbolized by the “Man-Han” banquet. Composed of 108 dishes, it is a mix of the elite foods preferred by the Manchu and Han peoples. Hence, it is regarded as a quintessential Chinese cuisine, and it is what makes Fangshan a unique place in China to dine, where an authentic Man-Han banquet can be enjoyed. To make it easy for diners to savour the fare, the 108 dishes of Man-Han are now divided into six sets, with each set priced at 1,680 yuan (US$210) per person, representing one part of the old imperial cuisine.

According to Wang Tao, deputy general manager of Fangshan, “A family once ordered all six sets to celebrate a grandfather’s birthday. They tasted the 108 dishes in ten days at 10,800 yuan (US$1,350) per person. Though a luxurious meal, it was thought worthwhile.”

The basic requirements of Man-Han banquet involve ensuring a “strict selection of ingredients; delicate cooking; maintaining a tempting appearance; and providing balanced nutrition.” The Manchu preferred to eat roasted foods, while the Han preferred to drink nutritious soups. Thus a Man-Han banquet, combining the advantages of these two systems, is characterized by balanced nutrition. A good meal also strives to be “crisp, tender, and light with less salt and chilli,” while maintaining the nutritional values and natural flavours of the foods.

In addition to the Man-Han banquets with set menus, separate dishes can also be ordered at a cost of 190 yuan (US$24) per person on average. Snacks are also popular here, such as Wan Dou Huang made of thoroughly cooked peas.

Unlike other fine restaurants experiences in Beijing, diners at Fangshan are able to sense a strong atmosphere of nobility and dignity. The experience begins at its imposing red gate, which is flanked by stately stone lions. Attractive restaurant employees wearing eye-catching Qing Dynasty clothes will escort you to your seat inside this amazing traditional Chinese structure, whose imperial-styled main hall can accommodate as many as 150 people at a time. The ceiling is an imitation of that of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. The coloured paintings on the ceiling remind visitors of those on the Long Corridor in the Summer Palace. In the centre of the hall stands a big chair once used exclusively by emperors. The hall’s main colour is yellow, a symbol of imperial dignity and a colour used by emperors only. Most of the patterns on pillars, the big chair and porcelain dining ware and vessels are dragons. Every porcelain cup has the Chinese characters “longevity” on it. Waitresses wearing Qing Dynasty uniformed clothing narrate some of the stories concerning the dishes served. Some of them can even speak the Manchu language. When dining on a Man-Han banquet, diners will be served with Qing Dynasty imperial rituals.

High-end foreign tourists, State-honoured foreign guests, foreign and local business people are the major sources of customers at Fangshan. Former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former German Prime Minister Helmut Kohl and many other celebrities have dined here. In recent years, wedding ceremonies have often been held in the main hall.

“Couples who plan to hold traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies prefer to choose Fangshan. They are able to pretend they are marrying in the imperial palace and serving imperial cuisine,” Manager Wang said.

“Fangshan will continue to improve and absorb the best of regional Chinese cuisines. Imperial cuisine develops as it continues to absorb new sustenance. We bear the strong responsibility of preserving, promoting and advancing imperial cuisine. As a result, we train every chef, waiter and waitress to start step by step, and pay much attention to details,” Wang said.

Fangshan is now also famous for its moon cakes and yuanxiao (stuffed dumplings made of sticky rice), which can be bought at markets during various festival seasons.