Beijing Blue, Beijing Gray

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Before Liu left to study business in the Auvergne region of France more than a decade ago, he had no idea what real non-processed cheese was like.

At the welcome party for overseas students, he tasted 20 different kinds of cheeses paired with French wine. His newfound love of cheese drove him into serious study and he enrolled in a professional school to learn how to make it.

When he returned to Beijing and started his own business making French artisan cheeses, Liu became the focus of attention for his products with decidedly Corsican features.

He uses the most expensive kind of milk "from cows that sleep well and eat well."

To protect his cheese babies against the heat and aridness of Beijing weather, Liu equips his cheese studio with thermometers and hydrometers.

On a warm and sandy afternoon, the studio stayed cool, humid and dim.

Before going into the fermentation room, Liu scrubs down like a surgeon, using hospital-grade brushes and soaps.

"These are my greatest fortune," he points to shelves of cheeses of different sizes, tastes and ages. His current favorite, and the most precious, is a small packet made months ago in Tibet that carries a rare flavor from the altitude.

He can recognize each cheese at a glance, fondly appreciating the cracks in a less-than-perfect but all-natural round, as well as the clean-cut looks of the perfectly formed. He proudly shows off the ash-like molds that grow on certain cheeses and gets truly spirited when he describes the final product.

If you have yet to taste the cheese-maker's products, at least you will be impressed by his great enthusiasm and love for his craft.

One of the best testimonials for his cheeses comes from Cyril Arrouard, the French executive chef of the Ritz-Carlton Financial Street, who declares that Liu makes "very good, fresh quality cheeses".

And as for those who are waiting in line to enroll in his homemade cheese courses, at least they know who they can aspire to be.

Liu Yang's perfect cheese platter

Fromager de Pekin shows off these cheeses:

Tomme, Pyramid, Buchette, "Beijing Gray" or Camembert au lait cru/pasteurise, "Beijing Gray” or Camembert Herbes de Provence crust, "Beijing Gray" Camembert Herbes de

Jardin crust (garlic, onion, basil, parley, bell pepper), “Beijing Gray" Camembert steeped in Olive Oil, Mini Crottin and Bleu de Pekin.