The secrets of a kitchen king

"After I retired, I got job offers from all around China and declined, but the Wangfujing job is just 10 minutes' drive from where I live, so even with my age that's OK."

Zhao has designed a special yellow croaker set meal for the summer season, all dishes made with the yellow croaker but in different forms and flavors.

He chooses high-quality fish that are the same size and debones them, using only the meat in what he cooks.

From fish sea cucumber soup to deep fried fish strips, and from pan fried fish with ginger to sweet and sour fish, Zhao creates a yellow croaker feast using various cooking techniques, and he still cooks.

"If cooking skills are to be properly passed on to young people you have to demonstrate yourself how things are done," he says.

"The value of us chefs is that we have to cook. No matter what title I have, I always stand in front of the cooking bench. I reckon the art of cooking is not about the beauty of arranging stuff on a plate: it's about being able to add exactly the right amount of seasoning at exactly the right time."