As a Chinese saying goes: “People can make a living from nature through hard work.”
Streaming site Tencent Video’s Once Upon a Bite, the latest food documentary by Chinese directors Chen Xiaoqing and Li Yong, aims to tell the stories of how people live off the resources of the sea.
From the north to the south, intelligent Chinese people living along the coast have manage to support their families and themselves by relying on the sea. Exploring this theme, the eight-episode documentary series delves into China’s seafood culture.
Behind these yummy dishes are stories of China’s traditional family ties that Chen Xiaoqing, known to Chinese audiences for his sensational food documentary series, is so good at introducing.
For example, take the first episode of the new series, which introduces four dining tables and four families.
Young father, Li Tianyou, looks forward to his family of four being happy in the future; Old He hopes for a better life for the younger generations; Liu Huiqun’s Bayu New Year’s Eve dinner seeks to create deep memories; and Lin Benben’s parents quietly pour their love for Lin in the seafood feast. These beautiful and warm stories are the best interpretation of the flavor in the world and why the first two seasons of Once Upon a Bite, still hold a 9/10 on Chinese media review site Douban.
“Our understanding of food is gradually deepening, and we will gradually feel the difference as our cognition changes. I think food is full of uncertainty, but it is precisely because of this uncertainty that we will pay more attention to the charm of food itself,” director Chen told media at a preview event for the show.
Besides providing a comprehensive panoramic outline of the magnificent vastness of the Chinese oceans, the series has also won the hearts of young audiences by presenting stories of fishermen full of positive attitude toward the future.
Some of these residents are still using traditional methods that have been passed down for generations to catch fish and harvest gooseneck barnacles, an expensive delicacy harvested from hard surfaces of rocks and flotsam in the ocean’s intertidal zone.
Despite the changes brought by the rapid development of China, people living by the sea are still confident that the future will be better through hard work.
In a scene from the third season of Once Upon a Bite, fishermen in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, enjoy the fruits of their labor after a day of hard work. Photo: Courtesy of Tencent Video
