Xi Jinping and 'the taste of home'

Food has also been a powerful tool in uniting people. When meeting Lien Chan, former chairman of the Kuomintang Party, in 2014 in Beijing, Xi served Lien, who was born in Shaanxi province, to typical regional dishes including mutton soup and noodles, and the two chatted in the local dialect.

During a state visit at the invitation of Xi in 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried his hand at making local snacks from the city of Tianjin.

Later that same year in Beijing, Xi presented another Shaanxi specialty to his guest. This time, it was Fu tea and it was served to former British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Fu tea was popular among nomad people whose diets contained a lot of meat and dairy products. It was one of the most sought-after items traded along the Silk Road in northwest China, central Asia and Europe.

Digestive Fu tea, mutton soup, noodles, pickled vegetables... Food can be said to have sustained Xi's closeness to the people, and nourished China's relationship with the world.