Journey to the heart of Teochew food

AS the saying goes, you are what you eat. But few take it quite as seriously as the folks in Chaoshan, where no conversation can begin without a cup of Gongfu tea, a social etiquette strictly adhered to since the Song Dynasty. The brewing of tea is itself a ceremonial ritual, and often, guests get to sample the best pick of the host's tea collection.

The Teochews - as the natives of Chaoshan are called - guard their history and culture so fiercely that even as other Chinese cities rushed to embrace the modern new lifestyles that economic growth brought, the Teochews paced themselves. Although Shantou was one of the four original Special Economic Zones, the city didn't develop as fast as Shenzhen, Xiamen and Zhuhai.

Shantou is part of Chaoshan, itself a prefecture of Guangdong Province together with Chaozhou and Jieyang. With a population of three million, this former fishing village is today a major toy-manufacturing centre in South-east China. As with many fast-growing cities in China, there is a sharp contrast of old and new, and modern high-rise buildings and old shophouses mingle cheek-by-jowl. Navigating the streets is easy, but be prepared for big city hassles such as bargaining with the taxi drivers (slashing taxi fares by as much as 40 per cent is possible!)