Tastes of the sea

A Beijing hotel food festival brings the light flavors of Ningbo cuisine to foodies in the capital. Liu Zhihua stops by for a sampling.

Coastal Ningbo city in East China's Zhejiang province is famous for "Yongbang Cai" (Yongbang cuisine, as Ningbo is called Yong for short), which is one of the most widely recognized local fares in China, characterized by light flavor and freshness.

Compared with other cuisines that are also light-flavored, such as Huaiyang cuisine, Ningbo cuisine uses even fewer seasonings and always tries to bring out the best original flavors of ingredients through simple cooking.